Med Alert Systems for Elderly Seniors

Medical alert systems are great way to add a layer of safety and protection for elderly people who live on their own or who are by themselves for part of the day.  If you’re like most family caregivers who are taking care of a senior citizen, be worried about what might happen in the event of a sudden illness or accident.  Having a med-alert system can mean the difference between life and death.

If an elderly person falls down because of a slip or a fall the more time they are on the floor the more serious their injuries can be.  It’s critical that they get medical assistance right away but falling down can immobilize the victim so that they can’t get to the phone.  By using a medical alert system for senior citizens all they have to do is push a button and immediately they’ll be connected with the monitoring company who can send the right type of help.

Med Alerts: What You Need to Know

It’s really important that the senior citizen be very familiar with the system.  I’ve heard stories from friends of elderly parents who were wearing a medical alert pendant  when they became incapacitated and even though they needed help they were afraid to push the button.  My friends elderly mom lay on the floor for five hours before being discovered by her daughter.  When they asked her why didn’t and she push the button  to get help she said she was afraid of being taken away in an ambulance. If she only understood that the monitoring company would not send 911 workers unless they were really required she could’ve had help much sooner.

Once you’ve purchased the right senior alert (see LifeStation  for a very affordable and reliable life alert system) you want to review the workings with your elderly loved one. Take the item out, set up the monitoring device by following the instructions and push the panic button. One of the monitoring company employees will come online and ask if everything is okay.  Just tell them that you’re testing the system.  A good monitoring company will welcome such calls and not see them as an annoyance.  They know that regular testing of the system means that the senior citizen will become better acquainted with how it works.

Be careful when you buy one of these alert systems for senior citizens.  There are some companies out there that will make you sign a long-term contract in order to get their services, and they’ll charge you to install the product. LifeStation is really simple to operate and install.  Just plug it into the wall jack for the home telephone by following the directions and plug the power cord into an outlet.  That’s all there is to it.  Now your senior will have 24 hour a day per protection.

You should walk around the house to determine the best place to install the monitor.  You want your elder to be able to hear the monitoring companies questions so keep it in a centralized place in the house.  One less thing, don’t be lured by cheap life alert systems.  Some have terrible monitoring service.  Some outsource the monitoring service to a call center overseas.  And you imagine how upset your senior citizen will be when they have to struggle to understand and be understood speaking to a monitoring company that employs people who do not speak English as a primary language?

The senior safety system from LifeStation features American call-center employees and who are well-trained to communicate with senior citizens in distress and help determine the appropriate level of response.  If the medical alert button is pushed and the monitoring center is unable to speak to someone in the house they will send emergency workers and contact relatives.  But, if they are able to speak to someone in the house they can follow the instructions of the caller instantly notify a nearby relative or neighbor.

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