Aqara allows me to keep some independence. Thank you

Unfortunately two years ao i was dignosed ith MND or ALS as it’s known elsewhere. For those who dont know it’s a disease which kills nerve connections to your muscles. Effectively disconnecting your muscles from your brain causing them to wither away. Two years ago I was playing five a side football to keep fit, now i can’t talk,eat, move my arms, hands and i have very little movement in my legs but zero strength.

Obviously this is devastating, but Aqara products , along with my Samsung Smartthings TV has allowed me to keep some independence. Seval light switches have been changed to Aqara light switches, allowing me turn lights on and off using several methods. I can use my phojne via my eye controlled computer. Or via home assistant, or most commonly, using my synthetc voice via bixby (smartthings) or Alexa.

I can answer door using the doorbell and Samsung TV

I can set the temperature of my room using Aqara radiator valves.

I can open and close the curtains.

I plan for more. I want more curtains openers. I plan to get blind motors too. I’m always looking at products and wondering how it can improve my life.

Smart devices arent a convenience. To some it’s a lifeline to keep independence. There is huge difference between asking someone to turn a light on, to open the curtains or lower the temperature and being able to do it yourself.

I just wanted to share how important Smart Tech, and in particular, Aqara product, are to me. They allowed me to keep control over certain things in my life. With a disease that takes everything away from yu, being able to cling on to any actions, even turning on a light, means a world more.

P.S. Replacing and installing devices an be expensive. In the UK any device helping with a disability, like smart tech can be bought VAT free, but has to be applied at point of sale. Have you thought about how that could be achieved or work with charities like MNDA in the UK to promote your products and allow them to order VAT free? Ive had a few health workers amazed at what i have done.

6 Likes

It’s an awful disease and a horrible circumstance, but I love how you are using technology to make things easier. This strikes at this particular moment because I have been struggling with my elderly parents. My Father has Parkinson’s and has lost a tremendous amount of dexterity, strength and coordination. Dementia is causing confusion, hallucinations, and he’s currently in a rehab facility because of another fall.

I live about 2 hours away from my parents and when I was there, I pirated and installed a hub and sensor from my house to start working on under the radar projects. My Mom is absolutely against anything technical or nerdy because she doesn’t understand it and she is stubborn as a mule, so when opportunity presents itself, I make a decision and just tell her to deal with it. Anything in the house that breaks, gets replaced with nerd stuff so I can fix whatever the problem is from home.

There are numerous things that I would love to be able to do, but my Mom will fight me over the tech and the price. I’m disabled so my income is limited. Most of my discretionary income goes straight into tech. I love my FP2 sensor, but it’s very likely that it will be going to my parents house. I might try to test the fall sensor option or use it as I use it here and create zones. My Father has started waking in the middle of the night in a state of confusion or with hallucinations and he’s very much a fall risk.

Being 2 hours away, my only option to keep track of him as well as my mother, in case of an emergency is going to be via smart tech.

I’m sorry to be so long-winded. Reading your post and how it has helped you is something I will be showing to my Mom. Hopefully it will help her understand just how much of an impact it can truly make. I also love your “P.S.” I’m embarrassed to admit it considering how much damage has been done by a certain orange nutter, but I live in the US. I totally agree that if Aqara could work with charities, senior assistance programs, disabled resource centers and veterans services, that would be amazing. Tech has helped you in so many amazing ways, yet so many are afraid of it, it’s cost prohibitive, or they don’t even know what’s possible. It’s also a potential wealth of marketing and name recognition.

You post has truly inspired me to push even harder and explore avenues that I wasn’t even aware of. Thank you so much!!!

2 Likes

Im so sorry to hear about your dad. Its horrible to watch people you love going through that.
Tech cant cure the disease, but it can help deal with some of the symptoms or give loved ones a small bit piece of mind.
You can have door sensors, and have alerts and sounds if the door is opened after a certain time. Face recognition cameras to play a message if your dad is near the front door at 2am. Setup routine to help with lighting. Make smart plugs for things like toaster not work after a certain time, or play a message or warning if used for so long . A dry electric kettle won’t turn off. Set a blg to say if activated for more than 5 mins to cut the power.

There so many things it can be used for to help people with disabilities or give carers a bit of peace of mind

1 Like

Hello @srrae
We wish you a speedy recovery. Thank you for sharing your experience with Aqara devices. We hope Aqara devices continue to help you.