19/01/2024
Buying a medical alert system often happens in the middle of or right after a crisis,and
that's never the best time to make big decisions.
I know personally how hard it can be, and I wanted to take my experience to help you be
better prepared for choosing the best medical alert system for your family.
So here are 4 things to know before making that big decision.
First,now your options aren't limited to a panic button around your neck.
sure wearable panic buttons are the standard, but now you can get customized options that
are artsy pretty or sporty.
But that's not all, you can also find smart watches and fitness trackers,smart speakers
Even fully integrated systems that combine voice control video motion detection and panic
button technology to help keep both loved ones and their caregivers safe
Second fall detection might matter more than you think
Here are the facts, someone aged 65 or higher falls every second of every day in the US,
that works out to one in four people.
65 or older falling every year and that makes falls the No.1 cause of unintentional injury
death for people 65 years and older, leading to about 32 000 annual deaths.
So falling is a risk for anyone.But age in certain health conditions can make them more
likely if you have a loved one who is at risk for falling.
This is a feature you want to make sure is included in your medical alert system.
Third, caregiver features are important when you get a medical alert system it's not just
the person using it that needs to rely on it a big reason
people get medical alert is to help a loved one live longer in their own home.
Often by themselves, caregiver features like an app that tracks activity or a two way
speaker that lets you check in on your loved one are becoming more common.
So sit down with your family and figure out the features that matter to your loved one and
to you especially if you live across town or even across the country
Finally,medical alerts aren't just for older people traditionally.
Medical alert systems have focused on older adults but the same technology that helps keep
older loved ones safe can also be used to help protect people with different safety needs.
My father who at a relatively young age had severe mobility issues due to rheumatoid
arthritis.
use medical alert combined with smart home tech like voice control and smartplugs to
improve his overall quality of life on top of letting us know if something scary happened
like a fall. So on top of things like balance and mobility challenges,medical alert systems
can also help people and families who are living with diabetes,memory
problems,developmental disabilities or diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Deciding to get a medical alert system is the right choice especially if you got a loved
one who lives alone or with certain challenges and risks,and I've been on both sides of it.
Buying a system proactively to help prevent a crisis and buying one reactively after
something scary already happened.
The more you know in advance,the better equipped you'll be to pick the right system for
your needs.
