Medical Alert Service Recommendations?

[rosarugosa]

Have any of you used one of these services, and if so, do you have any advice or recommendations? It has been recommended for Mom more than once, and I think she is almost at the point where she might grudgingly agree, after her recent fall.

[sweetana3]

Make sure she will wear it before you get it. At Mom's senior apartment community there are numerous instances of relatives providing the service and the person needing it refusing to wear the device. One woman fell outside and was not wearing hers. Some refuse to wear it inside. The stories are endless.

[bae]

Without recommending a specific brand or service, I've been on plenty of emergency calls where the alert service definitely helped with a positive outcome.

That said, over the past year, I've been involved in testing the Apple Watch for this application, and it seems to offer some good possibilities for some folks' needs and might offer a good alternative to a subscription/monitoring service.

[razz]

Without recommending a specific brand or service, I've been on plenty of emergency calls where the alert service definitely helped with a positive outcome.

That said, over the past year, I've been involved in testing the Apple Watch for this application, and it seems to offer some good possibilities for some folks' needs and might offer a good alternative to a subscription/monitoring service.

That is a good idea to explore. I have toyed with buying an Apple watch but need to consider all the rationale pro and con. I always wear my watch. Thanks, bae.

[rosarugosa]

Mom has never used a computer and she was unable to master a Fitbit or a Jitterbug smartphone due to her Early Alzheimer's. I'm not personally familiar with the Apple watch, but am I right in assuming this might not be for her given the cognitive issues?

[bae]

I'm not personally familiar with the Apple watch, but am I right in assuming this might not be for her given the cognitive issues?

The Watch likes to be used in conjunction with an iPhone, and has some functionality without if you get the cell-version of the watch, but I suspect with cognitive issues it'd be too much to deal with.

[nswef]

This is a timely question for me. Having fallen in June, we live in an area with poor cell service, still have a land line and I wonder how to judge the best service. I think I'll ask at the fire department...they know the issues in the area concerning cell use. thanks for giving me a push to find out. The physical therapist said to call the senior citizens center in the county.

[Teacher Terry]

Rosa, if she can’t do the jitterbug phone she can’t do a Apple Watch.

[rosarugosa]

Good input on the Apple watch though, because that could be a decent option for us computer-literate folks at some point.
I'm going to ask another question which might be a bit more controversial. Mom says she asks God every night to take her before morning. My sister and I both respect that desire, although we don't come at it from a religious viewpoint. Neither of us want to outlive our brains - sisters' suicide pact! So if Mom really doesn't want to have one of these services, how hard should I push? We are all for anything to alleviate or avoid suffering, but not necessarily to promote longevity. The line between the two is often kind of fuzzy.
I think it is one of life's cruel joke that older women fall and break their hips, when it would be so much nicer if they/we could fall on our heads and get it over with quickly. I'm big on quality over quantity.

[Teacher Terry]

I would let her make the choice. My mom refused to go to a home when she was so sick with cancer that she wasn’t safe. We supported her decision. We did take turns going and staying with her the last year but she was alone a lot because none of us lived in her town. She didn’t want a monitoring device. She fell and laid in her own waste for 24 hours. She went to a hospice place and was dead in a week. She should also have a DNR.

[frugal-one]

Saw on the news where the Apple watch called when a guy fell. He was stuck on a cliff and did not even know the watch had the "fall" feature.

[SteveinMN]

I would let her make the choice.
Ditto -- on both counts. DW's mother was dead set against wearing "one of those things". It took one of her kids discovering her on the floor by chance after a couple of hours (unhurt but unable to get herself up) to underline that she could be on the floor a lot longer (and actually hurt) the next time. She started wearing a device from Medical Care Alert. They seemed pretty good -- the pendant was reliable and not big-time ugly, there were few false-alarm calls (we were high on the list of people to be called), and customer service was responsive when we returned the unit when MiL went into assisted living.

rosa, IMHO I think your mom needs to decide how much pain she's willing to live with if she does fall and no one can be notified for hours. Would a broken hip or arm kill your mom? Likely not. She'd be in considerable pain pretty much for as long as it took for someone to find her or for her to move someplace to be more visible. One compromise might be a cordless phone (not a cell phone; one based on a landline); fewer buttons to manage; maybe a speed dial for people to be notified (perhaps someone anyone on her speed dial so they can get help to her). If your mom uses a walker, she might just make sure one of the phones is in a pocket on her walker. Just a thought...

[Teacher Terry]

We told my mom to always have her cell in her pocket. One day she forgot. If I ever need to go into a home I will quit taking my heart and HBP medications. That should solve the problem.

[dado potato]

I agree with Teacher Terry's earlier comment, to the effect that the user should be the chooser. Dutiful family members may help persuade the user that it could come in handy, but it has to be charged and worn to be of any use. The one I was looking at (Freedom Guardian) requires 4G cell phone service, and it is worn on the wrist. A related aspect is a lockbox on the door for first responders access.

[Tybee]

I think if your mom has early Alzheimers, then it is more complicated than saying "let her decide."
I think cognitive impairment would mean that she might not be able to decide anymore, and then this might no longer be an option, unfortunately.

At least that is how it was explained to me with my folks--if there had not been cognitive impairment, then they could choose to off themselves in their home through self-neglect, but if there was cognitive impairment, then it became a matter for social services. As in they would not let them go home alone from the hospital.

It did not make sense to me, but that was how it was explained to me. So if she has been diagnosed as having early Alzheimers, then it seems to become an issue of neglect, and if she comes into contact with emergency responders and hospitals, then she probably would not be going back home.

My parents fought tooth and nail against going into assisted living and had similar issues. Now, almost two years into living in a nursing home, they are quite happy with it, and actually socializing and making friends. And they were totally ready to enter into that suicide pact, and in fact I know it was dad's back up plan.

I am astonished how much better their lives are now.

[rosarugosa]

Mom has excellent mobility and balance, and she hasn't needed a cane or a walker so far. I think the Medical Alert recommendation is based more on the fact that she lives alone. She isn't particularly prone to falling.
At this point she is definitely able to actively participate in decision making, but sister or I would need to do any research and provide a fair bit of input. I think the next step is to talk it over with her again when she gets home next week. I will raise the point about potentially spending a lot of time in pain if she should happen to fall.
Mom has a lot of phones in her house, both corded and cordless. Hmmm - maybe the solution is to get one of those cordless setups with multiple handsets and place them strategically throughout the house. When I think about it, she could already crawl to a phone that wouldn't be too high to reach on the first and second floors. I'll have to check to see if the basement phone is low enough. This might be the direction to pursue - a cordless handset at the foot of every stairway.
Tybee: I'm so glad it has worked out well for your parents. You must be so relieved!
Thanks for the input everyone!

[Tybee]

I am! It sounds like your mom is in good shape if she can discuss things with you. That is wonderful.

Dad fell and that is what removed them from the home, which actually saved them and was a blessing. You sound somuch more on top of this than we were, good for you. You are proactive and that is fantastic.

I tried to get dad the jitterbug alert thingsince I had already gotten him the jitterbug phone and he liked it. I would consider that one.

[rosarugosa]

Tybee: I also live 1.5 miles from my mother and I'm retired, so that gives me two major advantages over many people.