Medical Alert Systems – What you Need to Know

Medical Alert Systems are personal emergency response systems designed to summon emergency assistance when needed.

How they Work

Most home systems provide a small portable, wearable button or pendant that work with a base station 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If a fall occurs, the pendant or portable device connects through the base station to a call center. The call center speaks to the person in distress, and once they have assessed the situation, send emergency assistance, or contact friends and family members to provide assistance.

Fully portable systems work on cellular signals. These medic alert systems provide a small wearable, portable device that connects to call centers using a cellular signal. Depending on the systems, they use GPS to detect the location, and if the wearer has fallen or is no longer upright, dispatching emergency responders directly to the location.

“Every 19 minutes in the U.S., an older adult dies from a fall, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

Do You Need One?

Falls are the leading cause of accidental death and serious injury among seniors. The CDC Reports, approximately a third of seniors 65 and over suffer at least one or more falls each year, resulting in nearly three million emergency room admissions and 27,000 deaths each year. Falling represents a genuine threat to our seniors.

A Medical Alert System makes sense if:

• You live alone: For seniors choosing to remain independent, these new medical alert and home security systems provide peace of mind and independence. For family and loved ones, this is a valuable benefit.
• There is a History Of Falls: Anyone at risk of falling would benefit from one of these medic alert systems. It makes sense to prepare so they can receive immediate help if a fall does occur. Once a senior has suffered a fall, the risk of another fall doubles, putting them at much higher risk.
• Unsteady Gait or Difficulty with Balance: Once someone experiences mobility issues or has trouble moving around the home, it may be time to consider a  system. If someone’s history indicates that they are at risk, and value their safety and independence, why wait for an injury to occur?  
• Stress or constant Worry: As we age, physical limitations create worry about the possibility of injuring ourselves. If you are experiencing anxiety or stress from these types of thoughts, a medical alert system may be right for you. Providing peace of mind and independence is a valuable benefit available through any number of Medical Alert System providers.
• There Is No Assistance Nearby: Your living situation is not near neighbors, family, or friends who can check on you at regular intervals, or arrive quickly to assist in the event of a fall or emergency.
• Your Medications Have Side Effects: While the benefits of most medications outweigh the adverse side effects, it is critical to be aware of how those may affect your daily activities. If a medication causes Dizziness or vertigo, you may be at higher risk of falling and injury. Both can affect your motor skills, coordination, and balance, making simple daily activities like walking or climbing stairs extremely challenging.

Get Immediate Assistance

Getting immediate help is critical to surviving a fall. Any number of health complications can arise from lying immobile on a hard floor for a little as 30 minutes.  These new systems make sure expert medical help arrives immediately, providing an excellent safety net for seniors wishing to remain independent.

Medic Alert System Device Options

What to look for in a Medic Alert system?

Your Medical Alert system needs first to be reliable, easy to install, simple to use, UL Certified, and able to operate on battery backup in the event of a power failure. Also, call center emergency response personnel should be professional, well trained, certified, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

How do most Medic Alert systems work?

In the event of a fall or incident, you push the button on your Medical Alert necklace, Wrist Watch or Pendant. The monitoring station connects you to your emergency contacts, emergency response call center, and notifies them. You also have the option to send text messages to your emergency contacts that notifies them whenever your device sends out an alert.

What kind of emergency help do I get?

If the injury is minor, your Medical Alert may contact a neighbor or family member to render assistance. In the event of a more serious injury or emergency, your medical monitoring service should immediately dispatch an ambulance, or contact the police or fire station, depending on your needs.

Other Reasons to Have a Medical Alert System

Medic alert system benefits extend far beyond medical emergencies and falls. They can also provide emergency help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for other problems, providing a safety net to allow seniors to keep living independently. 

Fire, Flood, or Burglaries

In the event of a fire, smoke, or a prowler, your Medical Alert Pendant or Base Unit can connect you to emergency personnel, and family for immediate assistance. With an alert system, there is no need to scramble for a phone to dial 911. Simply pressing ONE button, connects you with dispatch operators to summon the necessary emergency response team. 

Wandering or Getting Lost

Getting lost or wandering is a common problem for seniors with memory issues, advanced forms of dementia, or Alzheimer’s.  The Alzheimer’s Association, states that 6 in 10 people with dementia are prone to wander or forget how to get back in the home, a problem that can occur even in its earliest stages. A GPS enabled Alert System provides location information, and depending on the system, can alert your loved one, they are leaving a safe perimeter zone.

How Affordable are They?

It’s hard to put a dollar VALUE for 24/7 Security, Safety, Peace of Mind for yourself, family, friends or loved ones. However, a good Medical Alert System that meets our high standards for quality and safety can be purchased for as little as $1 per day. All Guardian Life Watch products are designed to keep you safe and provide 24-hour peace of mind.

Learn why Guardian Life Watch is the premier Medical Alert Devices Distributor in North America. We revolutionized the industry by offering the finest fully mobile medical alert device. We are also one of the first devices approved by The FCC to be worn on the body.