need some help with a certain device .. dont know the name

[zenga]

Hey, since boxers tend to be handy people, at least that's the myth, I figured to look here if anyone can help me out.

So my mom has Alzheimer (dementhia) and she has been living with me for the past years. Recently a new problem arose, one that has a significant impact on my stress level. When it's dark she has issues finding the toilet, and she has issues to find her room again. Imagine like being totally wasted and mega stoned, but than worse. I've bought a couple of cheap light detectors that pop on when she walks by, but hard to explain, she has beaten that system now. My next idea was to leave the light in the toilet on as the door has a little stain glass window on top, so in a dark hallway she could spot the light and just walk to it. She managed to beat that system once more. She just turns off the light now and then like any sane human would do, and next time she has to go to the toilet, the original problem pops up.

Now onto my last idea. I can only briefly describe what is, don't know the name nor could I find it in the store/google it. Back when I was a kid we had some light in the hallway, that was basically an emergency light whenever the electricity net was shut down. The light was sorta dimmed. Now I want the same thing, but I need to be able to manually turn it on/off, and it should not work on the electricity net but with batteries (since there is no way for me to connect it to the net in the bathroom). The reason why I want it to be a dimmed light is that it should not disturb, it should be sort in the background. So in short some light device that works on batteries (or that I can charge up during the day), can be turned on/off and that has a dim function. If it's energy friendly, it's even better.

Weird request, but if you could provide me with the name of such a device, maybe an alternative or a link, that would mean a lot to me.

Cheers
z

[Khatovar]

Sounds to me like you're looking for a nightlight. Those usually plug in. But they are generally small lights that have like a 5watt bulb or something, just enough to provide a dim light. Some have on off switches. I'm sure you could probably find ones with variable light levels but they are generally not bright enough to impede sleep. There's also probably some that run on stored light, like those glow in the dark stars kids put on their walls and ceilings. Those actually might be an option to look at too.

Id find links but I'm on my kindle and it's a pita, lol.

[EaTCarbS]

I might have seen something like that on TV a long time ago, but it escapes me.

You could try browsing some sites to find something that would be suitable.

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=3736651

[zenga]

Thanks a bunch, that's really helpful. Was not familiar with the 'nightlight' (hey i'm a simple geek).

[Cptan]

Nightlight is the light source you should consider. It usually consumes a few watts and is rather dim, but good enough for your case. Some come with photo sensor, so they will switch on by themselves when the surrounding gets dark, and thus save the trouble of turning on/off. Do consider those LED version. I believe the lifespan is longer.

Running on DC is not advisable, especially when the cable is long. Furthermore you have to charge your batteries to be green (not saying charging battery is bad, just that I believe in less battery = higher sustainability). If your mom continues to off the lights, a suggestion from me is to conceal the switch, or an easy re-laying of AC cable for a more permanent solution with the switch in your room.

[Acidburning]

you also might want to look at Emergency Lights, or Exit Lights, or combinations. They come on after AC power is lost and operate on battery backup.

as Cptan indicated, you may want to consider running the AC power direct, and not from a switch.

[Asterix]

while I was at the army they've put some kind of glowing color on the walls and the floor which was invisible during the day and showed you the way at night.
doesn't need energy, you can't turn it off and it only needs sunlight during the day

//Edit: found it :D

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/photoluminescent-exit-sign-viny-tape-glowsticks/912448808.html

http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/912478649_1/glow-emergency-font-b-exit-b-font-font-b-signs-b-font-font-b-photoluminescent-b.jpg

[Ughmahedhurtz]

I have LED night-lights all over the place. They consume almost no power and throw quite a bit of light. Plus they're cheap and can be easily modified to suit your needs.

[zenga]

Thanks for all the good tips. I currently have several of those LEDs with a sensor as well (they run on batteries). Went to a couple of shops after seeing the replies and realised that my idea is not feasible: anything on batteries lasts from 4 to 9 hours, and rewiring is not possible. Long story short, we put her on a waiting list for a nursing home yesterday. I realised I have no more tricks upon my sleeve to help her out. So for the remaining months, until there is a free spot, I decided to just stick with leaving the light in the toilet on 24/7.

Again really appreciated all the feedback, gave me some really good insight and helped making this decision (how weird that may sound from a total stranger, in the end whether they can go to the toilet without any guidance is one of the main factors if you can take care of someone or not).