Kia ora,

Like many care partners, I’ve found that once dementia becomes part of your life, your own world can become very small.

My husband is living with dementia. For a long time, I felt I couldn’t leave him alone for even an hour in case he wandered or something went wrong. Without reliable support nearby, I became, unintentionally, a full-time caregiver. I found myself mostly at home, with very little freedom or respite.

In our small town, it has been difficult to find suitable carer support – and even harder to find people confident in supporting someone living with dementia. I was fortunate to find two good carers, but both had to leave within weeks due to their own circumstances. It was discouraging, and I began to feel quite desperate.

My husband attends an activities programme at a nearby rest home one day a week, which gives me a few hours’ break. Even then, he once managed to slip away unnoticed. That shook my confidence.

I began researching other options to help keep him safe.

One service I looked into offered wearable tracking devices, monitored by Land Search and Rescue or Police. While that may work well for some families, it felt like a last resort to me – something used only once a person had already gone missing. I also knew my husband was unlikely to consistently wear a plastic armband or tag.

Eventually, I decided to try a different approach.

I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (costing $568), which links to my Samsung phone. The watch has its own SIM card and phone number (at $20 per month), allowing me to track its location and call my husband directly if needed. He can also call me.

For us, this has provided reassurance and greater security. It doesn’t work in every location, and I’ve needed some technical help from my son-in-law to set it up properly. It also needs charging every few days – and it’s not always easy persuading my husband to take it off.

But the unexpected benefit is that he loves wearing it! He can clearly see the time, day and date again, which gives him confidence and independence.

Because I had been unable to use much of my allocated Carer Support funding (due to the shortage of available carers), I contacted the funding team to ask whether I could apply for reimbursement for the watch. I was told applications are considered case-by-case and encouraged to submit a letter, invoice, and Carer Support form.