Medical Alert Systems (Lifeline/Life Alert etc)

I'm in the same boat -- and my Dad is STILL in the hospital.  My folks looked into it and then the idea died (likely because they knew what it cost altho I would pay for it)

My father, car buff that he is, wound up getting On Star, but they hardly GO anywhere any more.  I've even tried to convince them that they should both carry a cell all the time and THAT AIN'T HAPPENING.  *sigh* (my head is sore from beating it against THAT particular wall).  In my case my parents are **fiercely** independant and DO NOT want "help".  My parents almost had a big argument today at the hospital, because they're trying to set my Dad up with a "visiting nurse" and HE told them he "didn't NEED anything like that" (because it's a sin to take help in his eyes) and my mother (who is blind with macular degeneration) quickly butted in and ASKED for the visiting nurse thank Heavens.

Part of it is cost -- but another part of it is what *your* particular situation warrants.  If it's someone who lives alone, or who -- if they fell -- likely would be SO incapacitated that they couldn't dial a phone  or speak, then you need the superior help.  In my case, I'd want them to call the parameds **first** because I'm in Florida and they're in New York State.

I'm hopeful others will post.  Given that I can't get my folks to do this, I may need to step in and try to do it.

We had something set up for my grandma. It couldn't have been super expensive. I'll find out what system it was and will post.

Being in the communications business I have had the opportunity in the past to work with a local hospital.   They recommended and supported the "Life Alert" system.  It is typically directly connected to the hospital and if a button is pushed it sets of an alarm at the hospital's dispatch area. The dispatcher then will alert emergency personnel of address and distress call.

In our area "Lifeline" is the name of a program offered to disabled and elders on fixed income so that they can have a landline or cell phone at a discounted rate. 

Good luck to you both, I have often had this concern with Ron.  I do now have a standard desk phone landline for times when there is no electric, I have a portable handheld phone in almost every room and he has a cell phone for when he is not at home.  We live rural and the cell doesnt work well at our home.  I even have a phone in the detached garage/shop.

 I looked into them for my grandmother after my grandfather died. Rural areas and cell phone reliability are not something that go hand in hand, so having her carry a cell phone around is a joke. Most of the 'alert' systems charge a monthly fee, and even then, the call may not go to a certified medically competent call center. And, I have learned to Google for 'complaints against 'x'', and boy did that turn up a lot of qualms against those companies, especially the name brand/nationally recognized company. They had so many complaints about not cancelling the service even after the person had died. Just screamed nightmare. So be careful who you go with in that regard. The contracts read like a nightmare from what I can remember.

 I did find several devices that you can program several numbers into, that when the alert button is pushed, it calls those numbers in sequence until they get a human on the other end. The device also has to be able to recognize a human vs an answering machine/voice mail and have a way to deal with that. One unit required that the answering number press a certain key to make sure it had reached a live human, and if not, it went to the next number in the sequence. We were going to put 911 on the last number so that if she didn't need a medic, they didn't get called unnecessarily. Now, the device was never bought after I found them the info, so I don't know how well they work, but it seemed a better fit cause her kids numbers, friends numbers could be put in and it didn't cost anything other than the initial device.

The other thing to look at, is the distance from the base unit that the little alert device will work with. Also, does it work through walls, etc. There are several out there and my links aren't on this computer, so I can't link any of the ones I found. Hope this helped!

We've been talking about this with my MIL recently.  She's not quite as stubborn as what Callie's describing with her parents (she actually welcomed the visiting nurse aid when she needed one because she enjoys being fussed over and getting special attention). 

But, she resists other things, almost out of vanity rather than "independence."  For example, she wouldn't use a cane, despite being very unsteady on her feet.  She lives in an independent living facility for seniors, and they offer an alert button like this -- but she wouldn't wear it because it was unattractive and interfered with her jewelry (Oh, don't get me started . . . I know it's ridiculous).  So, when she fell a couple months ago, she had to drag herself to the place where she hung the button over her bedpost.  If she had been unconscious, she would've lay there until someone missed her at meal time hours later.  After some weeks at assisted living and therapy, etc., she now uses a walker AND wears the button.  Lesson learned.

Anyway, I don't know what the cost is, since it's wrapped into her monthly rent there.  I've heard that LifeAlert is very expensive.  One I've heard good things about is Life Station (I think that's the name).  Maybe there's a Consumer Reports type of website that reviews these services.  Or, maybe a local hospital or medical association could recommend one that's good in your area? 

I think it's a good thing to have -- cell phones don't always work, and many people might forget to carry one on their person 24/7.  My friend's grandmother fell and broke her arm when going out to get her mail, and if it weren't for the mail carrier being right across the street, no one would've seen her and she'd have been there for ages.  It's worth the expense if it's a reliable service.

Good luck with your search -- I hope you find something that works

stardancnminpin

 I did find several devices that you can program several numbers into, that when the alert button is pushed, it calls those numbers in sequence until they get a human on the other end. The device also has to be able to recognize a human vs an answering machine/voice mail and have a way to deal with that. One unit required that the answering number press a certain key to make sure it had reached a live human, and if not, it went to the next number in the sequence. We were going to put 911 on the last number so that if she didn't need a medic, they didn't get called unnecessarily. Now, the device was never bought after I found them the info, so I don't know how well they work, but it seemed a better fit cause her kids numbers, friends numbers could be put in and it didn't cost anything other than the initial device.

This is basically exactly what I want.  Do you happen to remember what those devices were called or where you found it and then I can look into it a little more? 

I know cost will be an issue as my parents are older and on a more fixed income.  But suprisingly when I mentioned it to my mom, she was totally game for it even though she also has the vanity thing going on half the time.  And she apparently mentioned it to my dad because then he mentioned it to me when I talked to him later.  My brother and I already agreed to split the monthly cost if necessary.  My mom laid on the floor calling for my dad, and the cat was going wild outside the door our in the house, but my dad never heard any of it.  And like I said, he also travels a lot.  I would feel better knowing she could contact one of us if needed.  And I am also looking into the ones that will detect a fall. 

We live in a huge metroplex so not rural at all.  And I think the biggest issue with falls is at night and in her room/bathroom so we would put any sort of monitor station in there. 

Thanks for all the great advice and responses!

Since it sounds like a lot of us are in similar boats or have been and may be again, I thought I would post these links.

I actually found one similair to what Stardancminpin was talking about.  My brother and I are still researching this, but for now, this is pretty much exactly what we were looking for.  Hopefully it works well.  One is more expensive than the other but doesn't tell you how many numbers can be dialed.  And we could easily set this up for someone else later if needed too.  I like that it has an alarm that goes off which means it might be enough to actually wake my dad up if she pushes the button.

 This one is less expensive and dials 4 numbers.

This one is a little more expensive but has more add on options that I like.  I can't figure out how many numbers it dials though. 

Just thought I would share.  :)

 My gma had life alert, I believe (or a similar one). She refused to get it until she fell in the middle of the night and laid on her floor for 9 hours before her neighbor came to check on her. Then she got it and wore the wrist bracelet. How it would work was, when she pushed the button it would connect to the call center, they would call her and if she did not answer they would call 911 and the first numbers on her emergency list (the neighbor, my uncle, etc). She used it probably 4x during the 6-8 months she had it. It was pricey - with installation fees and monthly fees but it was an absolute necessity imo.

 My Dad's dementia is too advanced for something like this.  Sadly.

 I was going to suggest talking with the nurse and / or elder services administrator at your local senior center -- ours are full of valuable info and willing to share.  But it seems you have plenty of info coming in from here, great news!

 This is the system I found, but this particular one isn't available anymore. They have upgraded it to this. What I liked about it was all the big red buttons that you could add to the system so that if they weren't wearing the pendant, you could add those throughout the home and they would still be able to call for help. The new one has somewhat of the same thing, but they have just made if more expensive.  They have lots of different styles available through this company and all have the same dialing system where it requires the caller to press a key to let the system know a human has picked up and not a VM or something. Anyway, that is the one I sent to my parents for my grandparents, but if I recall correctly Grandma didn't want a pendant cause it was big and unsightly.

 If you don't come up with other solutions, you might consider contacting her oncology office and speaking with the nurse and/or social worker.  They may be able to provide recommendations based on other patients experiences.  Also, years back I lived in a home with a very isolated backyard.  Because I worked in the yard constantly, I was concerned about an accident and not being able to get help.  I got a life alert type of thing I wore around my neck that was connected to my home security system for a minimal additional charge.  - Susan

My company Comfort Keepers (it's a nationwide business) offers something called Safety Choice (they have a variety of product types to suit individual preferences).  Honestly, I don't have the information on hand at the moment (or off the top of my head) to tell you how it compares in terms of cost to other companies, but I know it's competitive and less expensive than some.   

Sorry if I sound sales-ish, not the intention.  I'm just throwing up another option.  

I don't know anything about them, except that they can definitely be a life saver. The elderly mother of a former acquaintance fell just outside of her house in the winter, and wasn't found until the morning... unfortunately it was too late. I can't imagine what that poor woman went through, and how her death could have been prevented with a system like this.