Growing older certainly has its advantages — I am but four months from Medicare and can’t wait to dramatically reduce my healthcare insurance costs. But there are other things that make life more complicated as I get older.  For the past two months I have been dealing with my 92-year old mother’s health and care issues. She was living alone and getting around her three story house pretty well. We installed a lift for her to go up/down the steps, a lifting chair to help her get up from her TV watching position and have a person come in once a week to take her out, get her groceries, etc. 

All was okay until she started falling, which climaxed with her breaking her wrist and a vertebra in her back. After these issues were repaired, she started living in an assisted living location where she receives physical therapy to get her moving properly again.

The concept “aging in place” is a rapidly growing phenomena in our society. Many older folks want to stay where they are comfortable.

The problem for relatives who are responsible for the elderly is one of peace of mind. Although I call her every day on the phone, sometimes mom doesn’t answer because she doesn’t feel like it, driving me crazy with worry.

When she doesn’t answer the phone I either drive out to her house if I’m in town, or have the neighbor check on her if I am traveling. So, I need a new plan if she is to go home so my brother, sister and myself can visually check in on Mom from our smart phones. The system will involve the installation of broadband internet into her house, and three or four Wi-Fi IP cameras located around the house with two-way audio. The cameras will be focused on the locations in the house where she has fallen previously.

To monitor the cameras and provide instant viewing on my smart phone I am going to use a dealer service called Obercloud, an excellent cloud-based viewing, recording and notification service. You can choose from a variety of IP camera manufacturers, and there are no long-term agreements. Dealer information can be customized so your logo and contact info appears as if it’s your video service; multiple sites are viewable from the same sign-on; and if the camera(s) are purchased from Obercloud they are warrantied as long as they are connected to the service. All of this comes for a very reasonable wholesale monthly cost that dealers can use to generate or increase RMR.

Obercloud has sculpted this service to maximize functionality, provide unlimited stored video capacity through cloud storage and ease the use for your customers with the free Obercloud apps, available for Apple and Android devices. 

One of the new features being released in January that I’m excited about is the “no motion detected” alarm signals. Users can select a time frame that coincides with Mom or Dad’s regular daily pattern. If Obercloud doesn’t see any motion for an adjustable time period — say two hours — the system will send a “no motion detected” notification to an authorized person. I don’t need a message every time Mom moves, but I do need to know if she hasn’t moved in a set period of time, which will compel me to check the cameras and see what’s going on.

As the Boomer generation heads to retirement, there is a growing need for internet video and audio so that caregivers can visually monitor their loved ones. This is one of many ways that, using OberCloud, security dealers can provide high quality video services and offer features not available from their competitors. Go to Network.OberCloud.com for more information on becoming a dealer. And give Mom a call.