A medical alarm system is many things. Technically a medical alarm system is a system that is installed in the home that includes a receiver and a mobile pendant or button. If there is an accident in the home , the wearer of the pendant needs only to push the button and the operator on the other end of the receiver signal will be able to help to connect you with emergency services. A medical alarm is also a key reason why many older or disabled individuals are able to maintain their independence by staying at home. Medical alarm systems also provide peace of mind to the loved ones who cannot be there to watch their family member who has special needs or who may be more susceptible to accidents.

A medical alarm system – the technical definition

Although all medical alarm systems are not created equal, they are all basically the same in the way that they are operated. The resident of the home (customer) is given a pendant with a button that when pushed triggers a call to the monitoring facility. The monitoring facility then uses the base unit located somewhere in your home to communicate with you wirelessly. The operator asks you what your emergency is and connects you with the proper authorities. Of course, in the case that you are unable to speak or cannot communicate with the operator it is assumed that you are in need of emergency help and medical dispatch is notified immediately. Not only can a medical alarm system notify the proper authorities for you, but they can also help provide assistance teams with the personal, medical and contact information that can help to make the experience more efficient.

A medical alarm system – to help you feel safe and independent

Of course you want to be able to stay in your home and live each day as you please. But sometimes living alone can be frightening especially if you feel cut-off from the outside world. Accidents happen and it is a real fear that many senior citizens have that they will take a fall and not be able to call for help. Such worries can be enough to motivate someone to move out of their beloved home in order to safeguard their own life. Fortunately there are alternatives to living in a retirement community. A medical alarm system is designed to provide you with the access to help that you want and need in order to feel safe and independent. A good medical alarm will provide the user with 24/7 access to a monitoring center. So there is no need to bother family members or friends in the middle of the night if you are feeling unwell or uneasy for any reason. Constant access to a monitoring center is not only comforting in the case of a medical emergency, but your medical alarm can be used for other emergencies as well. This includes being able to notify the authorities in the case of a burglary or other disaster where your safety is compromised. A medical alarm is the reassurance that many seniors need to know that they can go about living their lives the way that they want to without fear.

A medical alarm system – it is the peace of mind that your loved ones are looking for

Medical alarm systems are the safeguard that many families are looking for when their older loved one insists on living at home. A medical alarm system is the answer to many family’s problems, fears and worries because a medial alarm can always be there for the older loved one at any time.

howard :: Mar.25.2008 :: Medical Alert :: No Comments »

Medical alerts are a good idea for everyone to have. Unfortunately they are not free and thus it becomes necessary to really be sure that you need one before investing your money in a medical alert service. To summarize quickly, a medical alert is a device that involves a pendant that is worn at all times and a voice-box communicator. In the case of an emergency, the wearer needs only to push the button on the pendant and a signal will be sent via the voice-box transmitter the monitoring facility that services your medical alert. There a trained operator will ask you, through the voice box, what your emergency is in order to send you the appropriate authorities. Medical alerts are mainly acquired to protect the elderly or disabled from being rendered helpless after a fall or to protect them from dangerous situations such as a complication from a medical condition or a robbery.

If you live with someone else or you are rarely alone, a medical alert may not be necessary for you. When there is someone else in your home, they can help you by calling for help in the case of an emergency. However, if you are medically high risk, consider that you could have a serious medical event when your caregiver is out running errands.The service of calling for authorities is the same whether it is a family member or a medical alert operator. If, however, you are living at home alone and find yourself worrying about your own safety while you are there alone, you may want to look into what services a medical alert system could provide to you.

As far as a specific medical history is concerned, those who have trouble with mobility, serious illness, specific medical conditions and medications, or who have had incidents with accidents in the home are among the most persuasive qualifiers for needing a medical alert. Statistically, as we get older we become more susceptible to illness and injury and it becomes more difficult to heal from such blows to our health. Therefore, seniors are the most common medical alert customers. The risk of injuring yourself in your own home rises dramatically in the years following the age of 65.

For some families the possibility of injury or the actual occurrence of an injury of a senior in their home is cause enough to try to convince that elderly family member that why would be safer in a retirement home or other assisted living center where they can be watched and cared for at all times. For family members this is an excellent option because it allows for them to have the peace of mind of knowing that their loved one is taken care of.

However, such a set-up is rarely what the aging family member would call ideal. There is nothing wrong with living in a retirement home; in fact there are many advantages to doing so. However, there is something about the independence of living in your own home and carrying out your own routines that cannot be duplicated. A sense of independence is lost when a senior moves away from home.

This all too common scenario is perhaps the most compelling qualifier for someone to have need for a medical alert. With all of the reasons why a medical alert may not be possible, loosing one’s sense of independence is often the one thing that makes the effort and investment of researching and purchasing a medical alert worthwhile. If you are someone who is facing the possibility of moving away from your home because you fear for your safety or cannot guarantee that you will be able to get help when needed, a medical alert is for you. At the touch of a button you can have the peace of mind that both you and your loved ones want.

howard :: Mar.24.2008 :: Medical Alert :: No Comments »

A medical alert is a tool that gives peace of mind to people at any age. Medical alerts are not necessarily just for the elderly or the disabled. Some perfectly healthy people who are looking for added protection can also benefit from a medical alert. With so many benefits and reasons for having a medical alert, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the people who really should have a medical alert and those who may be able to substitute a medical alert system with something less expensive or less technical (like carrying a cell phone with them at all times).

You really should have a medical alert if you have a chronic medical condition, have drug or food allergies, or take multiple medicines. Unfortunately, the majority of the people who fit into this category are the senior citizens. Those with the above mentioned ailments may be able to live very comfortably without a medical alert system if they live with someone else who can help them if necessary or if their living conditions are safe and they have the mobility to tend to their own needs immediately.

So we know about the types of people who really should have a medical alert system, but what about those for whom a medical alarm system is vital. Of all the unfortunate things that could happen in your house the number one danger that senior citizens face is the danger of becoming injured from a fall and not being able to get up or to otherwise call for help. If you are considering the purchase of a medical alert system for a loved one or for yourself, examine how real this threat of falling is in your situation. A previous fall or history of falls is often reason enough to purchase a medical alert system.

In addition, there are more specific conditions for which a medical alert can help you to be put in contact with emergency services at the touch of a button. But with the medical alert system, you disclose your individual medical issues and needs to the professionals in the monitoring center so that when you push your medical alert button to call for help, a record of those individual needs can be sent directly to the team or hospital that will be assisting you. When they have this information your treatment can be speedier and mistakes can be prevented.

You should seriously consider looking into a medical alert system if you have any sort of medical condition that could leave you immobile or unable to speak. Such things as a heart attack, stroke or seizures are extremely time sensitive. If you are unable to get medical help immediately, such attacks could cause irreversible damage and even death.

howard :: Mar.24.2008 :: Medical Alert :: No Comments »

We all age and as a result our health is more easily compromised. The correlation between age and injury, increase in required medications, illness, disease, etc. is unpleasant but unfortunately all too present for some. Although you or a loved one are fortunate enough to not be touched by some of the more common illnesses consider that over 13 million Americans are diagnosed with Diabetes and another 23 million Americans are diagnosed with heart disease. Add that to those who have Alzheimer’s, recent surgery, severe allergies, asthma, epilepsy or who are taking life saving medications such as the blood thinners like Coumadin and you may begin to see just how many older Americans struggle with their health on a daily basis.

Those age 65 or older account for an average of over 110 million emergency room visits in a single year. Roughly one third of all seniors also above the age of 65 will suffer from a fall or accident that occurred in the home. If all this information is not sufficient enough to convince you or a loved one that a senior may not be safe in their own home without a medical alert, perhaps we can better make these statistics have a more personal application to you.

Consider the following factors as they pertain to your personal health. If you cannot find any personally applicable reasons for why you should have a medical alert system in your home, then you may not need one. However, if you are over 65, it is likely that you will have at least one if not several issues in the following categories that are most important to caregivers:

• Medical history – Do you have a history of injuries, illnesses, inability to move well enough to get the phone, trouble taking care of yourself, etc. Or are you at risk for developing such symptoms in the future?

• Medication – Are you taking any kind of medication regularly (even if it is over the counter)? If so, do you notice that you are at times absent minded or forget to take the medications that you need when you need to take them?

• Allergies – Do you have allergies to foods, medications, or environmental factors around your home that you do not have the power or resources to eliminate?

• Surgery – Have you visited the emergency room or had any kind of surgery in the past 12 months? If so, did you have trouble healing or healing as quickly as you should?

• Specific needs – Do you have specific needs when it comes to your diet, physical therapy, exercise, etc.? Have you found that you have a difficult time taking care of yourself the way that has been suggested by doctors and loved ones?

• Family members – Do your family members worry that you are putting yourself at risk by staying at home, especially if you live alone? Are your family members looking into or encouraging you to go live in a retirement center?

If you have answered “yes” to any of the above questions you may need a medical alert in order to keep yourself safe by having easy access to contacting medical personnel at all times. All of the above mentioned scenarios can put seniors at a higher health risk if they choose to stay at home. You may need a medical alert not only to give your friends and family the peace of mind that they want to allow you to remain independent by living in your own home, but a medical alert can give the senior the confidence and re-assurance of knowing that if something were to happen at home, that they would be able to get help quickly.

howard :: Mar.24.2008 :: Medical Alert :: No Comments »

When it comes to choosing the best medical alarms to have if you want to stay independent you are going to have to research several companies in order to find the medical alarm system service provider that provides you with the features that you are looking for at a price that you can be comfortable paying. Not all people have the same needs when it comes to living an independent life once we reach our senior years. Some have more needs than others and will need to look closely at their options in order to choose a company that can truly allow them to feel safe while at home. As you begin your search for the best medical alarms, consider the following important factors. After you have had all of your questions answered you will be ready to purchase and begin using your medical alarm as your way of staying independent.

As you are looking for the best medical alarm for you, keep the following points to look out for in mind. You are putting a lot of trust in your medical alarm and should know exactly what you will be agreeing to and receiving before making a commitment to a service agreement.

1. Know your payments up-front – Some medical alarm companies will ask for payment of the first several months up-front or will charge you extra for not fulfilling the term of your contract. Make sure you know what all of the charges and possible charges will be.

2. You get what you pay for – You do not want to base your decision to buy purely based on price. Not all medical alert providers offer the level of quality that you expect.
   

3. Is there a satisfaction guarantee? – It is not too much to ask that your medical alert system provider give you a trial period with the system. If a company is sure about the quality of their product and service team there should be no reason why this request cannot be met. (Note: if you choose a company that offers a trial period be sure to test out the system, see how quickly it takes for an operator to answer your distress call, make sure that the operator can be heard from all rooms of your house, etc.)

4. Ask about outsourcing – Some medical alert systems outsource either their monitoring center. There are excellent monitoring centers that are company owned and operated, and there are excellent third party monitoring centers that specialize in medical alerts. Any monitoring center should have multiple independent third party inspections , such as Underwriters Laboratories, Factory Mutual, Central Station Alarm Association, Department of Defense etc.
   

5. 24/7 customer and technical support – Just as local emergency support teams are available 24/7 your medical alarm team should have a 24/7 customer support line as well. It is never a convenient time when your system may stop working; make sure that the medical alarm company that you choose has an efficient way to handle any problems at any time.

6. Repair and replacement services – Different medical alarm companies will have different length warranties on their products. Some companies only offer 1 year warranties while others guarantee system repair and replacement as part of your service for as long as you are a customer. This service is just one example of how a medical alarm company might entice you with low monthly payments, but ultimately you are going to get cut short somewhere else.

You can call or look online to find a number of medical alarm companies that offer services in your area. Remember to weigh your decision carefully and to get all of your questions answered before committing to anything.

howard :: Mar.24.2008 :: Medical Alert :: No Comments »