Elderly Medical Alert Systems

June 22, 2018 9:00 AM

I set my elderly mother up with Bay Alarm Medical Alert. There's a wristband with a button she can press to talk to someone in an emergency. But, to my surprise, you can't actually communicate via the wrist device, you need to be in the room with the base unit plugged into the phone line. And if she can get to that room in the event of a fall or other problem, she could just as easily call 911. Am I misunderstanding these services, or did I choose the wrong one?
posted by Quisp Lover to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Check the information from Bay Alarm but I think the idea is that if she is a different room and presses the button or if she otherwise can't talk, they will automatically go through their emergency dispatch procedures.

By the way, if she falls and she is in the same room, she could easily press the button on her wrist and shout at the alarm box but not be able of find her phone and deal with calling 911.
posted by metahawk at 9:32 AM on June 22, 2018 [2 favorites]

There is this product that is a wearable speaker phone that just calls 911 for you.
posted by agatha_magatha at 9:53 AM on June 22, 2018

Bay Alarm Medical FAQ:

Will the medical alert base station be able to hear me anywhere in my house?

The system should work within most living areas depending on the number of walls and construction type. Our Monitoring Technicians are trained to treat every alarm as an emergency. If the signal reaches the base station and the operator cannot hear you, emergency services personnel will be automatically dispatched.

posted by zamboni at 9:58 AM on June 22, 2018 [5 favorites]

This isn't a recommendation but I know that mobile help has a plan that includes a mobile device that lets you communicate with the emergency operator. The usual plan is to wear the pendant or bracelet in the house, at home, and dock the mobile device unless you're leaving the house, when you'd keep it in a little pouch that you clip on. But you can keep the mobile device on you all the time as well.
posted by lemniskate at 5:50 PM on June 22, 2018