Posts Tagged ‘elderly home care’

Home Medical Alert Systems: Providing Security For Your Aging Parents

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

If you are like many adult children with aging parents who live alone, you may find yourself worrying about mom or dad’s safety. It takes very little for an elderly person to end up with months of hospitalizations, medical bills or rehabilitation: one fall can do it. And when you add in the likelihood of medical issues that may require a senior to need immediate attention, it is apparent why so many families turn to home medical alert systems to help protect their aging parents and family members.

It can be challenging however, to sort through the hundreds of home medical alert systems on the market. To start, it is best to learn how these systems are meant to work. Most fall into one of two categories: those with a round the clock monitoring service, and those that have no service, and only provide the equipment.

Home medical alert systems with a monitoring service typically include a written service agreement between the customer and monitoring company. Once in place, the monitoring service responds when the alert device is activated, and then contacts the agreed upon people or emergency personnel.

When choosing a home medical alert system that has a monitoring service, always factor in the cost of the monitoring, as it can easily range between $30-$40 per month. In addition, there is usually an installation or activation fee.

If your aging parents don’t really require round the clock monitoring however, there is no reason to pay for it, as many perfectly fine home medical alert systems consist only of the equipment. The benefit, of course, is that this is far more economical as the only cost is for the basic equipment: there is no monthly monitoring service fee.

In a system that does not include monitoring, when the device is activated, the call will go directly to the numbers that have been programmed: depending on the system chosen, family, friends, or possibly emergency personnel.

Home medical alert systems certainly cannot take your place, but they can provide security to the elderly person and peace of mind for the family of aging family members who worry about their safety.

While worrying about the security of your aging parents may keep you up at night, a response system can provide you peace of mind, and help for your elderly loved one. Before you make a decision, find out about the various home medical alert systems that are available, and see if LifeStation is the right one for your elderly family member.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in aging | Comments Off

Help At The Touch Of A Button With The Freedom Alert Home Medical Alert System

Friday, August 27th, 2010

The Freedom Alert is one of the most popular home medical alert systems available: affordable and easy to use, it provides much-needed security and peace of mind to seniors who live alone…and their families.

The Freedom Alert differs from other equipment-only home medical alert systems, in that it allows the senior and his/her family the flexibility to choose who will be contacted if there is an emergency. While calls can go directly to 911, they don’t have to: up to 4 phone numbers can be pre-programmed in advance. Choose family, friends, neighbors, or emergency personnel if you wish, and when the senior presses the alert button, the system than calls each one in the designated order, until it reaches a “live” person. At that point, the elderly person can explain the problem and the contacted person can arrange for help.

The Freedom Alert uses a 2-way voice speakerphone pendant so that the senior can talk directly to the person on the other end if there is a problem. This system means there is no need for a monitoring station, so there are no monthly fees or lengthy contracts.

The Freedom Alert pendant can be comfortably worn in one of several ways: as a lanyard, wrist strap, or belt clip. It is also waterproof so the senior can wear it in the shower where falls often occur.

Important to think about with any home medical alert system, is the battery life, as the system is only useful if it is working. The Freedom Alert comes with an emergency back up batter for the base station, while with many others you have to buy this separately. Plus, it comes with rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries, and the system makes it easy to check if the battery is fully charged.

The Freedom Alert home medical alert system can provide help for your aging parents simply, and affordably. With just the push of a button, someone is always there to assist the senior if you can’t. Most elderly would like to live in the comfort of their home, independently, for as long as they can, and the Freedom Alert can make this possible.

Worrying about the security of elderly family members may keep you up at night, but a response system can provide you peace of mind, and help for your elderly loved one. Before you decide, find out about the various home medical alert systems that are available, and see if Freedom Alert is the best choice for your family member.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in aging | Comments Off

Why The Guardian Alert May Be The Best Medical Alert System For Your Aging Parents

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Increasingly, home medical alert systems are gaining in popularity, as the aging population increases, and seniors who want to live independently look for ways to insure their safety and security. Some medical alert systems are quite expensive, but the Guardian Alert is not. In fact, it’s popularity is due to it’s affordability and ease of use.

The Guardian Alert is very easy to use. The elderly person wears a small pendant that functions as a speakerphone. If he/she needs help, or if there is an emergency, the senior simply pushes a button and 911 is contacted immediately. Once the senior describes the problem, the 911 dispatcher then sends someone to help.

One way the Guardian Alert differs from many home medical alert systems, is that it does not use a monitoring service, so there is no middleman between the elderly person and help on the other end. The senior can actually talk directly to the 911 operator. Because there is no monitoring center, this type of system costs less than those that do have one, as there are no monthly fees. In fact, the only real cost is the equipment and periodic replacement of batteries.

The speakerphone pendant that is worn by the senior is small, and has the ability to be worn on a lanyard or belt clip, whichever way the senior finds to be more comfortable. As for power, the Guardian Alert uses a AAA alkaline battery that is comes with the system that will last up to a year. However, it is easy to check the battery power by holding in a “test button” that lets you know that it is working correctly.

The Guardian Alert is so easy to set up: simply plug the base station into any standard phone jack. It can be set up by anyone within minutes. This means there are no fees from the company for installation or set up. The range of this system is up to 600 feet, so the senior can wear it and be able to call for help if needed, from pretty much any spot in his/her home or yard.

While there is certainly no price on the security or safety of your aging parent, or peace of mind for you, it’s nice to know that a system like the Guardian Alert can provide these things at a very affordable price. As a home medical alert system, it’s simplicity of set up and ease of use make it a popular choice for many seniors and their families.

Worrying about the safety of your aging parents may keep you up at night, but a response system can give you peace of mind, and help for Mom or Dad. Before you decide, learn more about the various home medical alert systems that are available, and see if Guardian Alert is the best choice for your family member.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in aging | Comments Off

How LifeStation Home Medical Alert System Is There To Help Your Aging Parents

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Are you one of the increasing number of adult children who are looking for a medical alert system to provide safety and security for your aging parents? More and more family members of the elderly are searching for the peace of mind that home medical alert systems can provide, by being available to help a senior in need, when they can’t. Many systems provide just equipment, but others, like LifeStation, provide a skilled and caring monitoring center as well, ready to help your aging parents if they are needed.

LifeStation puts a lot of time into the training of their monitoring center staff, and somewhat uniquely, only uses employees for this service: they do not outsource. Because of this, they are able to provide a very extensive training: 160 hours of formal classroom training with testing done every 40 hours, followed by an additional 80 hours of classroom and practical training. Once this initial training is complete, then each person is given a performance review weekly for the first 3 months, followed by additional, regular performance reviews.

By designing a thorough training and review process, LifeStation has insured that each member of their monitoring center is fully prepared to handle each alert call as quickly and professionally as possible. LifeStation goes one step further, however, by having to specialists in the center handle each medical alert emergency call: one stays on the line with the senior, and the other contacts the appropriate emergency personnel as well as those on the emergency contact list.

The quality of LifeStation’s monitoring center is assured as they are UL listed, meaning they meet the high standards of the Underwriter’s Laboratory, the recognized standard for all monitoring centers. In addition to this, they also offer a 24/7 customer support line, for technical or equipment questions.

It’s easy to move the LifeStation system to a new location, even if just for a temporary visit, as LifeStation can work anywhere in the United States. So no matter where your elderly loved one is, he/she can have security and safety. And if there are ever any kinds of problems with the system, there is a system repair/replacement service.

When faced with the challenge of insuring that mom or dad can always have help when needed, many adult children turn to home medical alert systems with a monitoring service, so that someone is always available, day or night, no matter what. LifeStation provides this for the seniors they serve, with a dedication to excellence, professionalism, and customer care.

While worrying about the safety of your aging parents may keep you up at night, a response system can provide you peace of mind, and help for Mom or Dad. Before you decide, learn more about the various home medical alert systems that are available, and see if LifeStation is the best choice for your elderly family member.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in aging | Comments Off