Medical alert systems. Which ones are worth it?
My mother has some residual effects from a head trama injury caused by a fall last year. She was in rehab for a period of time but was able to come home.
But over this past year, my sister and I have noticed she has become very non-social and doesn't like to speak on the phone for long lengths of time. Needless to say, her circle of friends has dramatically decreased.
Due to her brain injury, she has to take medicine to prevent seizures but the meds can make her dizzy.
She does get out of the condo once a day to take a short walk. Other than running errands for groceries and a weekly hair appt, that's the only time she gets out.
Her doctor has recommended that she use a cane but she won't do it. So we're concerned about her falling.
My Mom lives by herself in Florida. My sister lives in Hawaii. I live in South Carolina. So we're both basically a long distance away from her. My brother lives in the same town as my Mom but he doesn't have a vehicle so doesn't visit her often.
We'd like to get her setup with one of those medical alert notification pendants but are not sure which one to choose. Thankfully, she says she would wear it since she knows anything could happen to her and she might need help.
Does anybody online here (bless you all by the way) have experience with any medical alert pendants/systems and could perhaps recommend one over another?
We think we need one that would trigger a call to my brother, me or my sister. We would like the system to be able to call an ambulance, if one was needed.
There are so many on the market these days that we're not sure what the differences are or how good they are.
Any insight on these medical alert systems would be appreciated.
Add to our frustration over this, the 2 times they called her to see what was wrong, and she was in the shower once without pendant and scrambled out of there soaking wet (dangerous!!!!) to answer her phone only to tell them she was fine and can I get back in the shower now please? The other time was just sitting watching TV and the alarm went off and a voice came on the intercom saying "Help is on the Way!" repeatedly, and so she calls me, and while she was talking to me, the LifeAlert dispatch was also calling me (so got a busy signal) so then called the 2nd person on list, who came running across my backyard as I was pulling out of my driveway, flagged me down to say LifeAlert had called......and yet NOTHING was wrong. But my mom was convinced an ambulance was on the way so she wanted me over there QUICK so that I could send them away (ambulances are very expensive!!!).
I am sorry if this response seems quite animated.
But, please, do not "fall" for the "fall alert" system. It is not fine-tuned enough to really know when it is a real fall, and the confusion is worse.
I have other elderly friends & relatives that are living just fine without any pendant---they keep a simple cell phone in their pocket or on a lariat/necklace around their neck (similar to the pendants).
As for the assertion that you might not be able to press the alert button---all my elderly relatives say, if they are THAT far gone that they cannot press the button, then just let them go to their Heavenly Home, they don't want to be scooped up and resuscitated and hooked up to machines (they actually have the DNR on their charts).
So, again, this is just my opinion, I do not like the "fall alert" system, it does not work well based on our experience.
The other aspect that I really do not like, is these "Call Response Centers" which require Monthly Billings, or Yearly Billings. What you are paying for, is a bunch of people sitting at phones answering all the Alert calls, and forwarding them on to your local police/911 call center. And why would we not just place a call directly to the police/911 call center instead.......oh but then they wouldn't have to charge you a Monthly/Yearly amount for the Call Center. Exactly.
Much better, is for you to actually own the equipment---check out Freedom Alert (they have on amazon and I suppose directly from mfr). You actually OWN the equipment and pay for it one time. When your mom dies, someone else can use the same equipment. You never have to return it to the Call Center. But the Monthly/Yearly systems, you're just renting it (think of the old-time phone landline where you rented the phones and had to return them) and when your mom dies, along with settling all her other affairs, you have to return the pendant!!! and if it got lost at the Emergency Room or tossed at the mortuary, you will have to pay them Big Bucks because you lost their property!!
And to add insult to injury, if you signed a contract for the Yearly fee (instead of more expensive Monthly), you will still owe the rest of the Year's fee (maybe some have a special clause for deaths, but it's hidden in the fine print).
In short, avoid the "rental" pendants. BUY a pendant, one that has no strings attached. I am in process of cancelling the LifeAlert, getting the Freedom Alert and will pay less for the F.A. than five months' worth of L.A monthly fees.
We have a Tunstall CareAssist set up which has been a godsend for us, but I live with my mother so it's a bit different - I don't know if it can be connected to a telephone line for remote support (you'd have to put a key box on the outside of her building that designated key holders can access), but if it can then I can recommend them. Shop around, but get your specifications good and clear beforehand.