I have an elderly lady living next door and she doesn't really seem to have anyone checking on her (I have never seen anyone coming to hers) apart from me and my partner every once in a while (usually she will pop by asking if we need anything and vice versa).

I'm a little bit paranoid about what would happen if she fell/collapsed in her apartment and couldn't call for help. It doesn't help that there is a dog living with her (I'm not gonna paint the picture, but I'm sure you heard the stories...).

I want to suggest to her to have some sort of SOS button that she could carry around the flat and, if something happens, she could press it to call for help.

I found this on aliexpress but it has it's own proprietary android app that I don't think would work on my GrapheneOS phone. Local, non-aliexpress options are pretty expensive and/or are subscription based.

Do you know of any alternative that wouldn't break a bank and would have more open source friendly system in place?

EDIT: I was thinking about a cheap wireless door bell (she would have the button - door bell would be in our flat). The problem is when we are away from home.

Perhaps a door bell with simple phone push notifications (my partner has a regular android phone so she could receive those)? Any product suggestions?

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[–] sxan@midwest.social 44 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I know this doesn't meet the parameters of FOSS, but in this instance I'd discard privacy concerns and just get her an Echo or Google Home. They're cheap, and bring able to call out a help request is better than a button she can forget to carry or wear. Either is capable of hearing a command in a 2br apartment, and have SOS ability.

I have a failing MIL in a similar situation. She's living alone, isolated, not near any family, and won't move. I gave her a Google Home I had in a box from a few years ago, and it is a godsend. She talks to it, it talks back, and she can make it do things she's not capable anymore of doing with technology. But most importantly, she can call any of us by telling the Home to do so.

I wouldn't risk a cobbled-together solution, personally, and right now the OSS technology stack for voice recognition is (a) not inexpensive, and (b) futzy. I have no doubt it'll get there; there are already some promising devices, but that integration with calling and SOS is the key.

Edit: typos

[–] hperrin@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago

Seconded. Privacy concerns are sometimes trumped by safety concerns.

[–] thirdBreakfast@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

My Dad gets confused trying to make a call on his phone, but he can say "Alexa, call Third Breakfast".

We have an emergency button to go around his neck, with an monthly phone plan, which seems to permanently live on the kitchen bench...