Thank you for helping with the problem of a dementia sufferer being unable to complete all the steps to use the toilet. They go to the toilet, but either do not flush, do not clean themselves, or may not take off their underwear. As a carer, I must make sure any missing steps are rectified by flushing or cleaning up.
The current system is to check regularly and/or use my nose. The longer the delay, the more mess can appear and the greater risk of disease. A possible electronic solution is to detect any use of the toilet, and trigger a silent alert.
There are plenty of sensors that can detect the use of the toilet. It would need to be out of the way, because we don’t want it dirty, wet or played with. In our bathrooms, there is a cabinet on the side where wiring can be completely out of sight. I was thinking an interrupt beam. Bryce thinks an ultrasonic sensor would be better. Wiring would be through the walls and roof. I’d use a transformer to power the two toilets.
The alert would b e a set of lamps in the hallway, two for each toilet. The first lamp would switch on when the beam was interrupted. The second lamp would switch on after detection and stay on until reset. Alternatively it could be a single lamp, with two colours. Red for toilet in use. Yellow for needs cleaning.
The reset would be a button next to the lights. I’d see one or both lamps go on. I’d know to wait for the patient to finish using the toilet. When the toilet was free, I would then go over to clean the toilet indicated by the lamp. After finishing everything, I’d reset the lamp.
I don’t want to have a software or complex solution, but otherwise have I overlooked anything, and how do I wire up such a circuit?
should be very simple to hookup each of these components back to a board such as an Arduino Uno. All the best with your project!
