The Medical Alert System: Offering Peace of Mind Before and After a Fall
By Maria Basso Lipani, LCSW
Summary: Every year roughly one in three adults over 65 falls. Removing throw rugs, making sure walkways are well-lit, eliminating clutter and wearing shoes that are flat and rubber soled are all ways to avoid falls in the home. A thorough work-up by a physician to determine the underlying cause of the falls (if there is one) is also advised. However, if a fall does occur, having a medical alert system in place can mean the difference between getting help quickly and waiting countless hours if a phone is not nearby.
Dear Maria: My oldest sister is 79 and lives alone in an apartment building. She has several chronic conditions and has fallen more than once in recent years. I live at a distance as does the rest of my family and most of her neighbors – including the one or two who have keys to the apartment – work during the day. I’m worried about her and wonder if a medical alert system would make sense. If so, where do I begin? Also, how much does a medical alert system cost? She lives on a fixed income and I’m not sure she could afford it. Rose, Tampa, FL
Dear Rose: A number of different companies offer medical alert systems and each product in generally the same. There are two components to the system – a base unit which is connected to the phone line by a technician, and the transmitting device that your sister would wear either as a necklace or a bracelet. If she were to press the button, an emergency operator from the company would attempt to communicate with her through the base unit to find out more about the emergency before sending help. If she fell far from the base and/or couldn’t communicate with the operator, help would automatically be sent right away.
With regard to price, I would not expect the cost of a medical alert system to be more than $35 per month. There is also a one-time installation fee that should not cost more than $50 depending upon where your sister lives. If you are the person who will call the vendors on her behalf make sure to ask about special promotional offerings and free trial periods. Again, there is a lot of competition in this industry so you should be able to get some sort of a discount.
If the cost of a medical alert system is still prohibitively expensive for her, you might try contacting a social service program that could help defray the cost. To find such a program, contact her local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and ask about the organizations that might have funding for this.
