Examples of assistive/monitoring medical devices for the elderly?

superwillis — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:45:39 -0800

Could anyone provide examples of medical devices that assist the elderly / assisted-living patients? (for instance, LifeAlert, the device that can be used to notify authorities if an elderly person is in danger). I'm doing an analysis on such devices, but I need to formulate a list of the different types of technologies available first. Keep in mind, this list includes both monitoring devices and assistive devices.

We need an in-house only life-alert type system.

IndigoRain — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 21:56:08 -0800

We need an in-house only life-alert type system. My dad (61) has been in the ICU. The doctor did an angioplasty and stent insertion, which pushed back a bit of plaque that may embolize and move. Since it's not a blood clot, anti-clot meds don't help. They've decided to just leave it alone for a month and see what happens. He will be coming home in a few days (hopefully). Dad sleeps at the other end of the house from my mom and I, in his recliner in the family room. (Been that way since his cancer surgery in 2000. He's a hypochondriac - don't ask.) Alternate sleep arrangements may not be possible... if we sleep where he is (which I'm sure we will take turns doing for a few days at least), we'll have to sleep in a recliner.

In February, he had a dizzy spell and fell down (due to an inner ear infection) and yelled for help and we didn't hear him. (Mom was watching TV in the living room, I was in bed.) My mom is slightly hard of hearing, our central air/furnace unit sounds like a jet plane landing, sometimes we have fans running, the TV is really loud so she can hear, etc etc etc.

We'd like some kind of in-house chime that will be loud enough to wake us if my dad needs help and presses a button. We do not want it to call 911 automatically. Ideally it needs to have 3 receivers that will alarm (living room, my bedroom, mom's bedroom) or else a really loud single receiver. I have heard of one life-alert system that will only call pre-defined phone numbers with a pre-recorded message, but what if we're on the phone? (We don't have call waiting.) In the case of an in-house intercom - what if he can't speak? The only thing we can think of is rigging up a wireless doorbell, but who knows if we can find one loud enough.

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Examples of assistive/monitoring medical devices for the elderly?

We need an in-house only life-alert type system.