My question has to do with falls, my father has fallen 4 times and my 90 year old mother and I are not able to lift him off the floor. We have called on our neighbor's teenage sons to help us out. My question would Life Alert really help ? Or would it be better for my father he go to his Physical Therapist and learn how to strengthen his legs and learn techniques on how to pick himself up when he falls?
I ask, because if it's physical frailty that's one thing, but if it's neurological or brain-related it's another.
Life Alert (or similar systems) can give rapid support to the person and peace of mind to his carers - but not if he won't use it. I found myself explaining to staff at a respite care home we're considering that "my mother wouldn't call for help if she was on fire," and I was barely exaggerating.
So it depends. If your father's thinking skills are impaired (e.g. memory loss, dementia, stroke or anything like that) he might not be able to use the system in practice (no matter how straightforward it seems to you); but if his mind is fine (or your mother can operate the call system for him), he himself is anxious about the falls and he would like to have help on stand-by, they could be well worth a go. Don't know if any distributor or retailer would let you have one on approval, or on a short lease or something? Then you could have a trial and see how it went.
Of course, it's not either/or; ideally you'd improve both the home's security and your father's strength and balance as far as possible. PT and Falls Prevention/Recovery techniques will all be useful - but again, only if he's keen to co-operate.
I would add: please discourage your mother from trying to help lift him!!! You don't want to find yourself with two parents flat on the floor!
I don't know that most seniors past their 70s would be able to get strong enough to change that. They'd have to be really motivated and be able to develop some good thigh strength. I think the emergency alert makes more sense, where someone would come and get your dad up. Getting someone to work with him to avoid falls would probably be a good idea too.
We had a system for Mom when she lived alone. She did remember to press the button when she fell, she could hear the phone call (which does not require lifting the receiver) and explain that she couldn't get up but that she wasn't hurt. The service called me (the daughter who lived closest). They patched me through so I could ask Mom if the chain was on her door and tell her I would be right there. I knew to stop for the building caretaker so we could cut off the chain. Then I got to mother and made the decision whether to call additional help or to just get her up.
Having the alert system in that situation was very useful! But when Mom left the apartment to live in my sister's house, we did not continue the service. Someone was there with her to determine if additional help was needed and to make the call, without needing a remote system as the middleman.
Katelyn4, I suggest that you contact the nearest fire station and see what their policy is regarding helping people up after a fall. This is a service many do provide. If yours does, put that number on speed dial, so you or Mom could call it quickly when Dad falls. If there are some strong teens in the neighborhood who would help (in exchange for a regular supply of chocolate chip cookies, maybe), put their number on speed dial. If it would be the police or an EMT unit that you should call, put that number on speed dial. You and Mom should not attempt to lift Dad, so be prepared with the phone numbers of those who can.
If your Dad is often alone in the house, then I think the alert system is absolutely worthwhile. But if you and/or Mom are almost always with him, then you can perform the same service of getting someone to help him up much more quickly.
Physical therapy sounds like a good idea, with or without the system.
For us, the medical alert button is a waste of money, Mom won't push the button and embarrass herself, and in a moment of crisis, she forgets she even has it. She just panics and calls us, LOL!
http://www.agingcarefl.org/services-and-providers/
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I had my parents primary doctor try to recommend an alert system, but Dad said "no, that is for old people"..... [sigh]
jeannegibbs , great idea about checking with the local EMTs to see what is they policy about helping picking up an elder who has fallen. At least they know professionally how to pick someone up so not to hurt them further.
Also I saw on TV about a cane that one can use no matter how uneven the terrain would be.... most of my Dad's falls are outside when he is doing yard work.... he would be bending down to pull a weed and keeps on going forward until he's face down in the lawn or dirt. In his mind he still thinks he is 50 years old and can still do everything around his house.
Another neighbor no way no how was going to be allowed to have one, as she already had repeatedly called 911 when she was stuck in the recliner after getting up late at night, rather than calling for the caregiver in the room 25' away (She had 24 hr caregivers. She also had the habit of calling family members 17 times in a row if they didn't answer the phone---not surprisingly they became even less inclined to take her calls.....)