Experiences with "Life Alert" type monitors?

My parents are arguing about getting a "Life Alert" type monitor. (My mother is in very poor health and does not walk well and my father refuses to leave here alone at home unless there is someone to "check" on her.) My father went on line and found a company in Florida that had a monitor, but when we examined the "contract" that came with the hardware I told him it looked VERY suspicious. For starters, the company has a VERY lengthy NON-liability disclaimer that is followed by a paragraph stating they can not be sued for ANY liability associated with their product. I told my father that Florida is also THE hub of medical "rip-offs" and that he should ask around for advice on who's product to buy instead of buying this (what I thought was expensive) monitor. They used to have a monitor that was furnished by the local hospital, but that was back when they were a 45-55 minute drive to the hospital. Now, they are about 4 or 5 BLOCKS from the hospital, but my mother still insists that she needs a monitor.

BTW, while I was home this week, she took a stroll to the bathroom at 4 am that I don't think my father heard. He can be a very sound sleeper, but I think he has gotten to the point where he hears my Mom make the slightest moves in bed.

Anyone able to recommend a product or have any experiences...good or bad?

Would she be able to operate a cell phone and remember to keep it charged and with her at all times?

BTW, my experience with it ended up with my relative in an independent living community where they check on her at 10:30 AM, 11:00PM, and then will check on her again if she doesn't make it to dinner. Oh, and there is usually a nurse to come in and give her her medication at lunch time.

But she was (is) single her whole life and incredibly stubborn and independent, so a much different situation.

My only experience with them is the commercials are horrible.

They have a monument in a park somewhere.

Many of my elderly patients in Michigan use them, and they seem to work well. It's a monthly fee, about the same as a cell phone, and the button will call 911 for you and provide your address if you are unable. Life Alert is one of the companies, I don't know of the others to recommend a specific one. I think they are a good idea in this kind of situation.

4 or 5 blocks from a hospital in situations where someone is incapacitated may as well be miles. What if your father instead of your mother would become incapacitated, would they be able to phone for help?

I'm interested in this for my mom too

I wasn't even aware that there were several companies offering these monitors, but I got the impression from my Dad that yes, you have a few to chose from.

My father is reasonably "tech savvy" but he seems more interested in getting my Mom to stop nagging him than he does about getting a monitor that may actually be monitored...and monitored in this country. The monitor he received in the mail was "light" on facts (maybe they were addressed on their website, my father saw it, I didn't) and left me with the impression that you pay a lot of money to turn it on...and "good luck" from then on.

I tried to get my father to get recommendations, locally, and he acted a bit embarrassed about the idea of asking his friends if they had any experiences.

My Mom is faced with perhaps having to go into a nursing home, but my folks are both fighting it. My Mom would rather die than go into a small room for the rest of her life and my Dad feels it would be some sort of betrayal of their wedding vows if he puts her in a home. His only feeling about the monitor is that it would be nice if he could go outside and do any lawnwork/gardening when he wanted to instead of working around my Mom's "schedule".

ANY local alarm company can provide this service. The components are just a basic alarm panel and a portable panic button. They come in several designs, make sure you get a waterproof one. Showers are dangerous for the elderly/ infirm. No need to get involved with a long term contract, not sure, but LifeAlert might come after you for unpaid monthlies after the user passes. Make a few phone calls, use a local company that is known and respected, read the contract, you should do just fine. This is not rocket science for the alarm guys.

my Mom has Life Alert ... as far as I know she's happy/ok with them ... a monthly charge ... multiple contact attempts from them in case of her pushing the button ...

I'd suggest that your parents contact that hospital ( a few blocks away ) and act on who they recommend

wbjones wrote: my Mom has Life Alert ... as far as I know she's happy/ok with them ... a monthly charge ... multiple contact attempts from them in case of her pushing the button ... I'd suggest that your parents contact that hospital ( a few blocks away ) and act on who they recommend

Yeah, the person to ask would be the local Hospital's Emergency Dept "Case Manager." They are the people who are usually in charge of setting up things like that for inpatients prior to discharge.

I agree with asking the hospital their recommendation. They are the ones who deal with this day in and day out

I'm a career firefighter and I respond to medical emergencies every day.

We see a lot of these systems and they do work, though some are better than others. While I never really paid much attention to which system is which, some are simply a panic button that sends a signal to a dispatch center. For these calls, we are dispatched for "Unknown Medical".

A better choice is the system that has a panic button accompanied by a two way, hands free transmitter. These allow the patient and the company's dispatcher to talk to one another and then the company's dispatcher can relay pertinent information to our 911 dispatchers. Someone who has fallen in the bathroom can usually yell to the transmitter an communicate with the dispatcher. Also, when I arrive, I can speak directly with the company's dispatcher who can relay the patient's medical information that they have on file. This is important when the patient loses consciousness or has altered mental status. We reset these systems after we have spoken with the dispatcher.

It's also important to remember that the patient shouldn't take the panic button with them when they leave the house, even when they go to the hospital. Accidental activations are very common. Pendants worn around the neck are often triggered when the patient slides a chair closer to a table and the wrist band style gets bumped on everything. The signal can be transmitted from anywhere, but the dispatch is tied to the home address. If the button is activated from somewhere else and we get to the house and no one answers the door, we have to assume that the patient is unconscious or incapacitated and then force entry. Stuff gets broken.

You may want to discuss your options with an area social worker or someone from the Department of Elderly Services in your parents' home town. They can help.

I work in home health and come across the "life alert" pendants a lot. Most of them run ~$30 / month and require a landline telephone. one of the ealier posters is correct that many home burglar alarm companies offer a similar service. the systems I've seen are wireless and only operate within about a 100 foot radius of the receiver unit.

As another datapoint, some of the better ones also have an accelerometer in the pendant - a sudden fall with trigger the alarm, even if the button is not pressed.

My Mom has a system like this, and it may work too well. She was heading out to lunch on her mobility scooter, and had gotten out of the retirement centre where she lives. On the front walk she stopped to tuck her gloves into her sleeve (it was winter) and must have pushed the panic button on the wrist band. Off she went to lunch. The monitoring service couldn't raise anyone in her apartment, so assumed she was unconscious. They contacted the management of the retirement residence, who also couldn't raise anyone in her apartment. The called fire and rescue, who broke down her door and found - nothing.

They then contacted my sister, who lives about 20 miles away, who gave the police (who were now involved) her cell phone number and headed to the scene. The cops phoned the number. My mother answered her phone, heard someone claiming to be the police, harumphed "Yeah, right!" and hung up on them! Turned off her phone and went on with lunch.

When she arrived home about an hour later, she was greeted with pandemonium. Her only comment? "I don't know what the fuss was about - I was fine".

So the range of the transmitters is pretty good!

Some day I'll have to tell you about the time she got her car on the ferry without her...

Turboeric wrote: My Mom has a system like this, and it may work too well. She was heading out to lunch on her mobility scooter, and had gotten out of the retirement centre where she lives. On the front walk she stopped to tuck her gloves into her sleeve (it was winter) and must have pushed the panic button on the wrist band. Off she went to lunch. The monitoring service couldn't raise anyone in her apartment, so assumed she was unconscious. They contacted the management of the retirement residence, who also couldn't raise anyone in her apartment. The called fire and rescue, who broke down her door and found - nothing.

This happens to us at least once a day, without exception.

As I stated in an earlier posting, not sure why my father decided to get his own "lie alert" type system and not ask the hospital....

My Mom only leaves the house (at least for now) for doctor's visits, so activating the system when she isn't home...even accidentally SHOULDN'T be problem.

I've never seen any ads for home security systems where my folks live (rural Pa.) but I guess there must be at least a few folks doing that....just don't know of any. I'll pass that suggestion along to my Dad.

My concern was that she should be monitored locally, ideally by folks within the state or even county, so they know the area she lives in. Also, that the fees were reasonable and the unit reliable.