Updated June 08, 2015.

Seat alarms can be helpful for some people who have dementia, whether it's Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia or Lewy body disease.

Purposes of Seat Alarms

• Communicates need for the bathroom
• Prevents wandering
• Signals need for walking or position change
• Communicates restlessness or boredom
• Prevents falls by alerting others of attempts to get up independently
• Alerts caregivers when person is at risk for falling out of the chair due to poor positioning

Types of Alarms

Some of the alarms that can be used for chairs and wheelchairs are similar to bed alarms but there are some differences as well.

• String Alarms
  
  
  Alarms with a string attached usually have a magnet that makes a loud alarming sound when the magnet becomes unattached. A string alarm can alert you if the person is slouching too far forward and in danger of falling out of their chair as well as if he is getting up out of a chair.
  
• Seat Pad Alarms
  
  
  These kind of alarms work by sounding when pressure is reduced. One benefit is that they typically stop alarming when the person sits back down.
  
• Seat Belt Alarms
  
  
  Seat belt alarms are seat belts designed to attached around the person when he's in a wheelchair so that he doesn't get up without assistance. The seat belt alarm works by being strapped together by Velcro. The seat belt is able to be detached by the person but then it will sound.
  
  Seat belt alarms can be helpful in cases where the person is restless. A seat belt that did not release would likely increase his agitation and potential for injury since he may become physically aggressive and tip over the chair if he's buckled into the chair.