Personal Warning Devices

Cyrano

Cyrano

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I'm 84 and live alone. If I were to fall or something, nobody would know it until the house began to smell bad. I've thought about these devices you wear that can summon help. Anybody have any experience with them, good or bad, and does anyone have any recommendations about which companies are better than others?
 
I can only hope to make it to 84, brother. I'm 67, now, and sometimes feel like 167.

I've no experience with any of the devices, but I'm hoping that My Lady outlives me to take care of things. My instructions are to toss me in the freezer for a few days, then take me out, get the post-hole digger and drive me into the ground like a locust post.

The bluebird house mounted on top would be optional. :D
 
My grandmother had one many years ago. She wore it on a chain around her neck. It worked well, but I don't remember who the company was. She died in 1995, so it was over 20 years ago. If they worked back then I imagine they are even more reliable today. Most everything electronic is.
 
Due to a chronic health issue that will accompany me until the day of my funeral, I have one that I wear when I'm alone in my house, even though I'm not nearly as old as you are.

You have to check what's offered in your area. I think there are some that use the cell phone grid; I know nothing about those. Mine is land-line based, run by Philips Lifeline and offered by a local/regional healthcare/hospital organization, Providence.

It works. A cell phone is better than nothing, but no substitute. I try to carry my cell at all times, because things usually work better when I talk to the 911 operator myself rather than yell across the room and hope that the Lifeline operator correctly conveys the information.

But twice so far the lifeline has saved my butt when I went down, once because I left the phone on the table and once because I managed to wedge myself between sofa and table in such a way when I fell that my weight prevented me from getting to the phone in my pocket. Highly embarrassing.

The other issue with the phone is water. It's hard to place a phone in such a way that you have a reasonable chance to get to it if you're down in the tub or shower with some broken bones because you slipped, something that happens even to young and healthy people. The button around your neck is waterproof.
 
Cyrano, I'm about to turn eighty and have lived alone since I was widowed many years ago. I've had some heart problems lately and have considered one of those gizmos myself. I gather there's considerable variation in cost and response times.

I live in an apartment complex for independent seniors and my neighbors are pretty nosy, but one of the alert devices is looking more and more like a good idea.

I have a cell phone, and normally keep it on my person, but I do take showers... :D
 
My grandpa has one of the life alerts I believe. Has one on a chain around his neck, and also one in a watch format if he wants to go that route. I was glad when he told me he got one. He's 83 and works harder than I do most days. Always outside working on something. He says for him it's a nice peace of mind.
 
Cryno,

Depending on where you are in Texas do some Googling into LIFE ALERT. No direct knowledge but they seem to have a good reputation. hardcase60
 
Cyrano said:
Yes, but it doesn't work too well in the shower.
Click to expand...

Cyrano/Mike/All--I can't speak to the alert button on a chain issue other than to say that I knew an 19 year old, Div I College Football player in the prime of his life (and completely sober) slip and fall in the shower, hit his head and fall so as to cover the drain. He was out long enough for the water to almost start to cover his nose and mouth and they were turned upwards. Another athlete found him and dragged him off the drain.

Get on the CDC web-site, and I believe household accidents like that are at the top of the list of injuries and deaths. So I think one of these warning devices is an excellent idea. Frankly, I think it takes one hell of a man to admit, "hey I may need some help."

As to the cell phone in the shower issue, you all need to check out Lifeproof cell phone cases. Waterproof iPhone 7 cases from LifeProof | Live LifeProof | LifeProof. I don't know your type of phone, so I just

copied the link to what I use on mine. These are the best invention since sliced-bread.

In fact, I washed my cell phone last night in hot water and dishwashing liquid because I have been spraying herbicide all week. Even from a sealed tractor cab with chemical filters, that stuff gets everywhere and is dangerous to have on you.

I have dropped my cell phone from a Cat D-6T dozer cab and a 175 hp tractor cab (that's a tall cab) onto a concrete floor and never had a problem.

You may want to check them out where you can take your phone anywhere.
 
Last edited:
TX-Dennis said:
My grandmother had one many years ago. She wore it on a chain around her neck. It worked well, but it was over 20 years ago.

My grandmother would have me test it for her.
Push the button and say "this is a test."
The operator would immediately respond asking what room you were in, then while talking tell me to walk to the bedroom and bathroom. The operator would say it was working fine. They have a contact list of neighbors, friends or kin. If you didn't need emergency help they would call your contacts to tell them you needed some assistance.....worth its weight in gold.
Click to expand...
 
My wife used to have one a few years ago. I THINK it was a life-net-she got it through Medicade anyway. Let me tell you boys and girls, those people were good. A couple of times we activated the device by accident, and they were RIGHT there. NOW. She wore the necklace type, and praise God she never had to use it, but it sure made me feel better when I slipped off into the woods for a couple of hours sitting beside a tree with a rifle over my lap.

The unit malfunctioned once, I think the battery backup went bad, and they knew it before I did. They shipped us a new one along with a shipping label for the bad one. Shipped it back in the same box.

We gave it up (along with the Medicade) as she got better and we moved back to town. Now we're seldom out of sight/hearing of one another so it would be sort of redundant.
 
ALWAYS WEAR the device

Cyrano said:
I'm 84 and live alone. If I were to fall or something, nobody would know it until the house began to smell bad. I've thought about these devices you wear that can summon help. Anybody have any experience with them, good or bad, and does anyone have any recommendations about which companies are better than others?
Click to expand...

ALWAYS WEAR the device. Out of reach is NO help.

A friend who lives far away (400 miles) fell and broke her hip
She did not have her device on that day - "I was just in the apartment".
For the next three days she lay on the floor in extreme pain before someone check on her.
She spent several weeks in hospital. Then moved to a provider for rehabilitation services.
It has been almost three months and her out look is still very poor.

Bekeart
 
My Mom had one. The device and service worked throughout her house. Also worked great sitting on the dining room table where she usually kept it.
 
My Mother-In -Law had one and lived in a Senior Citizen apartment complex. It was a local service operated through the Hospital, and it would ring into the service center which would in turn contact the individual back to ask what was the problem, if no answer they called the ambulance and us both. On two occasions it probably saved her life. It wasn't good outside her residence, only within a certain distance from the unit attached to her phone. One in particular case she had broken her hip and fallen and couldn't get to a phone, and might have laid there hours or possibly days.

If I felt like I needed one I would opt for a service that is usable all over, even out 5 miles so I could go to my shooting range. I wouldn't hesitate if I felt I needed it.
 
I do not have one, but I see how they might be very beneficial. If I were to get one it would be cellular network based. The reason for that is twofold. A landline is dependent upon wires that can come down in a storm, fire, etc. also power can fail and if your landline is dependent upon electrical power you are not going to connect.

This thread has me about to begin looking at the 911 apps for my I phone. There are some that will send your info to 911 along with your gps location and call a couple family members.
 
One advantage....

One advantage and I think it's an important one is that you only have to push one button on a chain around your neck. You have to be able to think to work a cell phone.

First I open my screen
I hit the telephone Icon
I put in 911 and push 'dial'.
 
My mom is 91 now and had had one for about 5 years. She had to use it twice, and had fine results. She is NOT tech savvy at all, so a cell phone would not be a good choice. I believe she has the life alert.
 
Life Station. I signed up my mother last year after dad died. I checked all the competitors and I felt that Life Station was the best, plus no annoying salesperson.
 
PLEASE get one! Part of my job is responding to "foul unknown odors" emanating from the neighbor's house. We have many retirees moving to our area and family is often far away and sometimes out of state. I can't tell you the number of calls we get to check on a family member who's not been heard from in a week or more. Also, check with your local law enforcement agency. We have a program called, "Are you okay" which is automated and calls your house phone daily. If you don't pick up the phone a deputy comes to your home to make contact. It's not perfect, but it's free if the call buttons prove to be too expensive for you.
 
I know of two instances where an alarm was needed and they didn't have one. The wife of a friend, in her 70s, was walking the dog one day. She tripped and fell, crawled back to the house, and eventually ahd a hip joint replacement. The other, my sister in law, in her 80s, went to the bathroom one night tripped and fell, broke something crawled to the phone and called for help. I don't want to do anything like that.

My rugs, incidently, are up in the attic.
 
I don't feel all that spunky some days, and I live alone, in an isolated area. I've thought about all this, and I think that I would just as soon lay here and fade away rather than go through the hospital/nursing home thing again and again. Seems like hell to me.

That's not for everyone, and I may feel differently when actually in pain on the floor. I'll try to leave a note letting ya'll know. :)
 
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