Swansea University review the Guardian II & The Guardian App
Intro - Main carer for three elderly relatives looking for a technical solution to enhance their security, extend their independence and give me peace of mind.
Also considered voice activated devices – only worked in house and relatives ‘didn’t like the accent’ or couldn’t remember the activation word.
Also considered panic alarms and lanyards but relatives didn’t like aesthetics and they had limitations away from the house.
Discovered Guardian II and Guardian App - the discreet appearance for indoor and outdoor use was accepted by relatives. The functions are perfect for me.
Introduction
So Dad is 97, Mum is 85 and they live at home. Dads little brother is 94 and he lives at his home too. Three elderly relatives all wanting to live at home and remain independent for as long as possible. Old age can be cruel, with sight, hearing, mobility and memory issues affecting confidence, safety and security.
This can make the natural caring instinct of keeping a watch over elderly relatives a challenge. I wanted to introduce some easy to use technology that would enable my relatives to call me from anywhere, even if they couldn’t get to a phone. I tried a popular voice activated device which I thought would introduce the ability to ‘Call Nige’ from anywhere in the house but they didn’t like the synthetic voice and couldn’t remember the wake up word reliably enough. It only worked indoors and we needed several for each house too.
I suggested a lanyard type panic alarm but that wasn’t discreet and had range limitations outside the house. Then a friend told me about a smart watch designed for anyone vulnerable and to help anyone responsible for caring for them. It sounded great, worked indoors and out, could make and receive calls and messages and had a panic button. I talked to the elders and ordered one the next day, a Friday. It arrived the following Monday nicely boxed as shown in the photo and in a protective package. Inside the box was the CPR GUARDIAN II, a charging cable, a pre-installed SIM, a SIM tool, a brief intro and full instructions.
Set up and Configuration
Set up is easy if you follow the instructions and are careful when you enter phone numbers. Once CPR GUARDIAN II is paired with the App you set up basics like time, date, wearers details and can test out features as shown on the screen grabs from the Guardian App. I tested everything and after an initial problem making a call from the CPR GUARDIAN II to my mobile was resolved in no time by excellent Customer Support (turned out I had omitted a digit during configuration of contact numbers) I was up and running and ready for each relative to try for themselves.
All found it comfortable and are able to make the all-important SOS calls and to receive my incoming calls.
My Dads eyesight isn’t great and he finds the display a little small.
My Mums hands are a bit shaky and she thought the buttons a bit hard to find at first.
My Uncle got into it straightaway and really liked it. He loves his independence but is pragmatic about his vulnerability. He appreciates the extra security CPR GUARDIAN II has given him. Messaging works perfectly but was not a priority for us.
The Geo-zone alerts and location monitoring is so useful and helps me keep in touch with their lives, alerts me of anything untoward and I know exactly where to go if help is needed.
Conclusion
The CPR GUARDIAN II works for us. My elderly dependent relatives have more confidence and security and I have peace of mind knowing they can get hold of me or send an SOS wherever they are and I can get hold of them and locate them and receive alerts should they venture out of their safe zones for whatever reason.
In a few words CPR Guardian has enhanced our INDEPENDENCE, WELLBEING & PEACE OF MIND.
