Wireless Medical Alarms

It is a very difficult decision to make for those who are elderly or immobile to continue to live in their homes alone. And it is incredibly tough for the children of older parents, particularly those widowed who really do live entirely alone, to allow them to go on this way. There are a number of alternatives in that a care home could be selected. This would grant the person companionship and safety without becoming a 'burden' or an unmanageable workload for their offspring or other relatives and friends. However, this is a hugely expensive means of care and one that increasingly fewer people can afford. Another alternative is for elderly parents to move in with their children but many feel this removes their independence altogether and makes them burdensome.

As such, many elderly people opt to continue to live on their own, thus maintaining their independence in managing themselves and their own households. For younger relatives, this can be a worry. What if he or she has a fall and is unable to get help? What is she has a medical emergency or need help but cannot call someone?

This explains the recent increase in purchases of wireless medical emergency alarms. They are essentially tiny portable devices a person can wear around their waist or on their key chains and in the event of a medical or other type of emergency, they can be activated. Activating them summons outside medical assistance to their home.

Most of the better of these types of medical alarm systems come in two parts. One part is the base unit and the other part is the portable device. The portable device communicates with a base unit, which is the element of the setup that will, if activated, send out a call for external medical help to come to the home of the elderly person. But these are not just restricted for the elderly. Those who have recently had accidents that have left them with mobility difficulties or perhaps in a wheelchair could also benefit from the use of such a system. It would surely put the minds of their relatives at ease to know for absolutely certain that if the person requires medical help, has a fall or something similar, that such help is accessible for them.

But roughly how much will a system of this kind cost you? Well, one of the bigger companies providing systems such as this in the USA is LifeGuardianâ„¢. In fact this is the AARP top rated system of this kind. This one is a system that is manned by people in a central system and if the button on the portable wearable device is pressed, an announcer will speak on a speakerphone to assure the wearer of the device that help is being dispatched. And help needn't be emergency services. The user can have any contacts added to the system, such as neighbours, relatives, friends or a doctor. To avoid dispatching help unnecessarily, there is a 30 second period straight after the press in which the call can be cancelled. Once help has been dispatched, the operator follows up by asking the help if they need paramedics etc. Essentially, the operator stays in contact with the people involved until they are confident that the situation has been resolved. In addition to this, any information that needs to be passed on to family or friends, the operator takes care of. So really this is a very comprehensive system. And the system is not as pricey as you might think. Essentially, your up front payment would be (inclusive of all set up fees applicable) around $450. But following this, it costs as little as $19.95 to run per month, which is a pretty nice price for the piece of mind it comes with.

Of course, there are systems available more cheaply that do not rely on a call centre that is manned 24 hours a day and before making a purchase like this, you should shop around.