Getting Your Loved One An Emergency Alert Device

Worrying about your elderly loved one can be quite stressful, especially if he or she is living alone and you are far away. An emergency alert device can help alleviate the stress you and your loved one may be feeling.

An emergency alert device is a remote device about the thickness of a quarter that is linked to a base. Your loved one can wear it on a nylon necklace, on a wristband, or a belt clip. Most alert devices are waterproof, so they can be worn at all times, including when bathing. When the button is clicked, a transmission is sent to the receiving base, which is linked to first responders who can answer the panic call for any number of reasons.

You may have seen commercials where a senior is wearing an emergency alert and has fallen down. These commercials are no joke. Each year, approximately one in three elderly adults will fall. These falls can lead to very severe injuries—injuries that can become worse if there is no one available to tend to those injuries immediately. Emergency alerts can help with more than just falls. Other medical maladies, like heart disease or diabetes complications could cause your loved one to collapse suddenly. Occurrences like these dictate that your loved ones have the kind of help available they need at the push of a button.

Emergency alert devices should be a simple solution for falls and medical problems. Still, your loved one might resist getting an alert device, because it threatens his or her idea of independence. You may need to sit down with your loved one to discuss the benefits of having such a device on his or her person. Take the time to look over “pros and cons.” On the “pro side”, you have the confidence of knowing that first responders are available to assist your loved one on a 24 hour/7 day a week basis. Also, the devices can help your loved one when he or she has fallen, is experiencing a stroke or heart attack, or is under the siege of an intruder or a burglar.

Surely, those reasons enough should do the selling for you. In case they don't, you can counter the “con” side by talking about their non-obtrusive size and ease of use. Also let your loved one know that this sort of device can lengthen his or her independence, because of the access to first responders at the touch of a button. Plus, such a device will alleviate the worries and fears of your family, which should sit well with your loved one. At the end of the day, the safety and health of your loved one are at stake. It will make sense to him or her once the device is demonstrated and explained.

Resources: Seniorinsider.com