Medical alert buttons

[Saxon Stonedyke]

Does anyone have experience with these things?

I moved next door to my parents to help out years ago because my father is a retired veteran in a wheelchair. Now my parents are divorcing after 49 years of marriage and I no longer have the luxury of thinking that if one goes down the other can call me or 911. Mom is now entirely out of the picture.

We've installed an intercom between houses so he is covered if I am home and I am home most of the time because I am retired. I can't be here all the time because I have to run errands etc. so I am looking at getting him a medical alert button.

I'm leaning toward the Greatcall 5 Star Response system because it works off cell instead of a land line and he tends to range fairly far from the house when he walks his dog.

 

[EdwardMidweston]

Does anyone have experience with these things?

I moved next door to my parents to help out years ago because my father is a retired veteran in a wheelchair. Now my parents are divorcing after 49 years of marriage and I no longer have the luxury of thinking that if one goes down the other can call me or 911. Mom is now entirely out of the picture.

We've installed an intercom between houses so he is covered if I am home and I am home most of the time because I am retired. I can't be here all the time because I have to run errands etc. so I am looking at getting him a medical alert button.

I'm leaning toward the Greatcall 5 Star Response system because it works off cell instead of a land line and he tends to range fairly far from the house when he walks his dog.

I have no experience with any of them, but every time I see the ads I wonder what--if any--advantage they offer over a cell phone. Most cells can easilybe programmed to dial 911 with a single push of a button. If your father is so incapacitated that he can't speak, 911 should easily be able to trace the call's origin. Unless you have doubts about the local 911 staff's competence or reliability, it seems to me that a cell would be as good as it gets.

 

[tgnytg]

Yes the buttons work well

My mom is 85 and barely ambulatory but lives alone. She has begun the process of losing a few of her marbles as well. She has a tendency to fall and mess herself up every few months, broken bones, lacerations, etc.

My out-of-town brother got her a necklace-style button from "First Response System" (or something like that) for about $175 a year. Another provider is "Life Alert." My mom used the button when she fell and broke her arm in December. She was conscious and talked them into her apartment since she couldn't get up off the floor - yes, it actually DOES happen. The company will send help to the subscriber's house when the button is pushed, even if there is no voice response.

I would expect that pushing one button on a pendant is a lot easier than dialing a cell phone and hitting send, especially for an elderly parent who is not familiar with cell phones and gets confused. Then there is the issue of leaving the cell phone in the other room. The pendant-style button can even be worn in the shower.

Good luck with your folks.

TomG

 

[EdwardMidweston]

Yep, you're right. Not everyone is as totally tied to a cell as I have to be, I guess. It would be more likely to be out of reach than an always-worn pendant.

 

[Saxon Stonedyke]

Thank you for the input. He doesn't get confused but he is an ex marine and doesn't always make the best decisions.

Two days ago I got a call saying "Come over here and bring a shovel." He was walking his Shih tzu when they both thought it would be a grand adventure to tree a squirrel in the walnut tree about 50 yards from our houses. Mind you my uncle and I have built nice gravel paths over about a half acre for them to roam, but of course the squirrel didn't stick to those. He was out in the field with his Jazzy chair buried to the axles in the mud. I worry about him doing dumb things like that or falling while transferring in and out of his chair when I am not home to run to his rescue.

The one I was talking about works off cell towers instead of a land line and it says they will just call a neighbor or relative if you need it. I guess in his case the wrecker service could be added to that. We are so far from civilization it takes an ambulance an hour to get here but if someone could call a neighbor for him it would take a load off my mind. If I go to the grocery it's 45 minutes one way so it would take me a while to get back to him if he called me.

Not to mention the weather has been beautiful and I am dying to go fishing