Who knows about Medical Alert Systems?

[somethingshiny]

DH''s grandpa has been living alone since his wife passed away nearly 4 yrs ago. He has been in and out of the hospital for various injuries sustained from falls. He has been in and out of Nursing Homes to recuperate but he doesn''t want to stay in one permanently. He uses a walker and the family has made the necessary improvements on the first floor of the house so he doesn''t have to use the stairs and he has Meals on Wheels to deliver hot meals to him. He is in general good health and is a strong-willed man.

Over the weekend, he fell again. He laid in the bathroom for at least 4 hours before anyone knew. He is in the hospital but will be released today or tomorrow. Some of his family really want him to go to a nursing home where he''ll be "safe." But, we know that he won''t be happy in one. He doesn''t want to leave the home that he and his wife lived in and raised their children in. He worked hard to be able to get his house and he doesn''t want to see it gone.

Do any of you know anyone who uses a Life Alert or Lifeline or any medical alert system? Is it easy to use? Are the operators capable? Is the cost worth it? Any info or opinions would be appreciated.

 

[Efe]

I wrote a detailed post that got eaten, but here is a link for the brand I am familiar with.

www.Linktolife.com

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for the link. I hadn''t found that brand.

Are you personally familiar with the company?

 

[Efe]

I have an elderly friend who had this system installed in 2 of his homes. They are very easy to install, similiar to an answering machine, and they run, I think about $60 per month for each unit.

If help is ever needed, just a push of a button contacts the company. They will talk directly over the unit to the person to assess what kind of help is needed. If the person states that it is an emergency or if they get no response to their inquiry, they will call 911. Otherwise, they have a presubmitted list of 3 people that you designate (must live within 20 minutes) that they will attempt to contact. It is, in essence, a triage system.

The speaker system is amazing, you can hear all the way across the house. I have been there when the system has been tested, but he has never had to use it for an actual emergency. They recommend that you test it once a month and the 3 times that I have been present for the test, an operator came online right away.

Hope this helps.

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for your RL info! I was concerned about the speaker system because most of Grandpa''s falls are in the bathroom which is a bit far from where the machine would be. I think having 3 contacts is great, too.

 

[kindred]

My mom has one of these systems. I''m not sure of the brand, but she is happy with it. It is very much like BizouMom described. They do test the machine and they have told my mom that it is so sensitive that if she presses the button they should be able to hear her throughout the house and probably even a little bit outside it. She has not had to use it in an emergency. She had a different company in the past and on one of the tests they were not able to hear her from one room away unless she shoulted, but she thought that was just the employee and not the machine. She only switched companies because the new one has lower monthly fees.

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks, kindred. Do you remember the name of the system that wasn''t as good?

 

[kindred]

Date: 9/21/2009 8:50:41 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Thanks, kindred. Do you remember the name of the system that wasn''t as good?

I''m sorry, my mom doesn''t remember.

 

[Lynn B]

These are called "personal emergency response systems" (PERS) and they are great. Just be sure to get a system that you can monthly for ($30-$50/month is reasonable). There may be a one-time installation fee ($50 - $100 typically) but you shouldn't have to put out a large outlay of cash, that can be a big red flag.

Call the local Visiting Nurses Association, or Area Agency on Aging, or the Social Services Department of your local hospital for recommendations on what is available in your area.

I used to be the Program Manager for our hospital's Lifeline Program, so I am most familiar with that one.

http://www.lifelinesys.com/

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for the link, Lynn. That''s the one I''m leaning towards. It is carried in one of our hospital service centers. The price seems reasonable. Grandpa will be in a nursing home for rehab for a month, after that we''ll definitely need to get something in place for his safety at home.

My biggest concern is that he''ll think he''s fine and not use the system even if he falls.