Looking for the best medical alert system to help protect a senior citizen living at home? There are many different types of electronic safety devices available. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
What You Need to Know:
Medical alert systems can help certain seniors continue to live at home longer. But they’re not intended as a substitute to a home aid or visiting nurse. If an elderly person is at high risk of heart attack, fainting spells or falling we strongly recommend you consult a geriatric specialist or other qualified medical professional.
A Senior Alert device (also known as a medical alert system) should be thought of as a “call button” to help a senior get help in the event of an emergency.
We highly recommend one for most seniors with health issues. The system is reliable and when your aging loved one needs help they just have to push a button. The button is on a pendant device that can be worn around the neck, or on a wristband or belt clip.
ElderKind strongly recommends the pendant senior alert. The wristband or belt clip is too easy for a senior to take off and misplace. The pendant is light weight and can be worn under the clothes. It’s even water-proof … which is really important as so many accidents happen in the bathroom!
When the button is pressed, the emergency response team will call the senior’s home via a loud intercom. The call station will speak to the senior and determine what sort of assistance is required. IMPORTANT: You must supply the call center with phone numbers of several nearby relatives and friends who can and will respond for calls for minor help. Not every call requires an ambulance. The senior can hit the “panic button” and simply ask the call center to have you call or drop by. Only if there is a real emergency will 911 be summoned.
Make sure the senior knows that pushing the panic button doesn’t mean they’ll be whisked away in an ambulance! Let them know it’s OK to press it for minor things and that as long as they can give instructions to the call center, the senior is always in control. It’s really important that the senior be very comfortable and familiar with the system.
Photo credit: Georgie Pauwels / Foter / CC BY