Medical Alert Systems

A medical alert system is designed to do just what it sounds like – alert the heck out of someone that something is terribly wrong and help is needed, ASAP! See, few other posts will cut through the BS and give it to you straight. After all, if you need to monitor someone’s medical state, you don’t want an alert system that casually notifies you something is off, do you? “Hey John, as a heads up, your Dad hasn’t been breathing for the past 4 minutes. You might want to check on him when the game is over.” That’s a crap service.

The most critical part of a medical alert system is the help button. These need to be easy to access and if worn on your wrist or as a pendant, they should also be waterproof as who knows what could go wrong. So the very first thing you need to look for is how the help button is positioned and whether the technology can be easily “worn” so as to be with the person at all times of the day, regardless of the activity.

Some in the larger (non-medical) community have argued that with the advent of the cellphone a medical alert system isn’t all that necessary. After all, cellphones are with us at all times these days. They’re so ever-present that we are cancelling our landlines at unprecedented rates. Yes and no. Cellphones are rendering landlines relatively obsolete, but think about what you do with a cellphone on a daily basis. You might go to the kitchen, turn on a podcast and set it down to listen to while cooking. Your kid might then call you from the next room and instead of flipping off the podcast and taking the phone with you, you simply leave and attend to your kid. If you are someone with a life-threatening medical condition, walking up the stairs to attend to your kid could provoke something and next thing you know you’re laid out on the stairs without a way of hitting that help button. See why you need something on you, 24/7?

Regardless of the service you end up going with, you’ll need to face the question of whether the system should be monitored or not. What we mean by this is a system that is monitored will route you into a dispatch center, available 24/7. One that is not will give you the option of routing the call into one or more people that you decide should be the point people in the event the individual needs assistance. The big difference between the two is obviously price. One routes a call to a trained professional on the other end of the call who can provide the necessary support to get your loved one the help they need ASAP. The other is your Uncle Larry who may or may not be too busy to take the call because the Giants are playing. Researching this however you do find some compelling arguments for having a loved one as the emergency contact as they might have a more inherent interest (Uncle Larry aside) in responding in the most expeditious manner possible. Up to you of course.

And finally, make sure to add on a fall-detection feature. The number one thing that does the elderly in is falls. Loss of equilibrium happens to the best of us and a twisted ankle at 82 is a world apart than one at 19. Do your research, don’t skimp on the extras (we’re talking to you Larry), and play it safe. We want to maintain on this good green Earth as long as possible, period.