Help, I've fallen, and I can't share my geocoordinates!
January 22, 2013 8:32 AM Subscribe
I'm in search of a personal medical alert product for my middle-aged mother and somewhat overwhelmed by the volume of incomplete solutions, vague descriptions, sketchy resellers, and keyword hoarding. Help me be the best geriatric technologist this side of sixty!
For the uninitiated, a medical alert device allows its bearer to press a button to contact a hotline or summon emergency services. Some are installed in the home like one of them newfangled "answering machines" and can only service up to the front stoop. Others function similar to, or are merely features of, a modern cell phone. The actual fobs come in all forms, including wrist and neck bands.
This much I know, but I'd really appreciate references or recommendations for devices that meet the following criteria:
- Cell and, ideally, GPS-enabled. This is a very active woman at high risk of falling everywhere.
- Wearable 24/7. While her cognition is generally exceptional, the forgot-my-keys index is off the charts.
- Discreet. She is, quite literally, young at heart. Few her age elect to use such a product, so humiliation is a real risk with some of the larger pendants.
Nice-to-have features include low subscription costs, emergency access to medical info, automatic fall detection, online configuration, and personal health metrics.
… But let's not get too excited. Any solution is better than none and all advice is appreciated!
For the uninitiated, a medical alert device allows its bearer to press a button to contact a hotline or summon emergency services. Some are installed in the home like one of them newfangled "answering machines" and can only service up to the front stoop. Others function similar to, or are merely features of, a modern cell phone. The actual fobs come in all forms, including wrist and neck bands.
This much I know, but I'd really appreciate references or recommendations for devices that meet the following criteria:
- Cell and, ideally, GPS-enabled. This is a very active woman at high risk of falling everywhere.
- Wearable 24/7. While her cognition is generally exceptional, the forgot-my-keys index is off the charts.
- Discreet. She is, quite literally, young at heart. Few her age elect to use such a product, so humiliation is a real risk with some of the larger pendants.
Nice-to-have features include low subscription costs, emergency access to medical info, automatic fall detection, online configuration, and personal health metrics.
… But let's not get too excited. Any solution is better than none and all advice is appreciated!
It would help to know where your mother lives, services vary by country and parts of countries.
posted by mareli at 9:14 AM on January 22, 2013
posted by mareli at 9:14 AM on January 22, 2013
Response by poster: Not gonna threadsit, but to answer the questions:
Secretariat: "Generally." She very often forgets her cell phone, and there are risky environments where they're inappropriate, like a shower or locker room.
mareli: She lives in a major city in the US with coverage by all the usual cellular providers.
posted by nominal at 9:28 AM on January 22, 2013
Secretariat: "Generally." She very often forgets her cell phone, and there are risky environments where they're inappropriate, like a shower or locker room.
mareli: She lives in a major city in the US with coverage by all the usual cellular providers.
posted by nominal at 9:28 AM on January 22, 2013
Best answer: As jessamyn suggested in 2011, some police departments will make 'wellness check' phone calls to people at set times every day.
I can't necessarily recommend any of them because I've never used them, but I found a list of medical alert services when my business partner was looking into getting one for a friend who spent several nights in his basement because he couldn't get back up the stairs.
If your mother is out-and-about quite often, especially if she spends any time participating in outdoor activities like hiking, perhaps something like a Spot Emergency Locator Beacon might be a better fit for her needs.
posted by ob1quixote at 10:03 AM on January 22, 2013
I can't necessarily recommend any of them because I've never used them, but I found a list of medical alert services when my business partner was looking into getting one for a friend who spent several nights in his basement because he couldn't get back up the stairs.
If your mother is out-and-about quite often, especially if she spends any time participating in outdoor activities like hiking, perhaps something like a Spot Emergency Locator Beacon might be a better fit for her needs.
posted by ob1quixote at 10:03 AM on January 22, 2013
I've looked at a few things online and none of them really seem to meet your requirements. I think maybe you've hit on something that someone should be inventing right now as the number of older people in the US increases dramatically over the next few years: a wristband or pendant emergency phone capable of calling 911 that looks like a watch -a delicate one for ladylike ladies, a more robust-looking one for everyone else-, is waterproof, includes gps, and maybe even has some kind of shock sensor in case the wearer falls and blacks out. I'm sure it can be done. And I'm sure that some mefites are capable of creating this! As an aging boomer I volunteer to test the prototype.
posted by mareli at 10:49 AM on January 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by mareli at 10:49 AM on January 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: The World Famous: Apologies for being vague. I softened the realities of the situation a bit, but your guesses are all correct. She has a condition that causes falling and, due in part to personality and the rest to the disorder, will forget anything not physically attached to her body. It doesn't have to be hip or young, just subtle.
mareli: That mefite might be me.
posted by nominal at 10:51 AM on January 22, 2013
mareli: That mefite might be me.
posted by nominal at 10:51 AM on January 22, 2013
Y'all got me to thinking and there actually already are wristwatch-like devices that have cell phone and GPS built in. I can't speak as to the quality of the thing, but I found this one that has GPS, SOS, and Cell Phone in a watch format.
posted by ob1quixote at 11:45 AM on January 22, 2013
posted by ob1quixote at 11:45 AM on January 22, 2013
The Alzheimer's Store is a good source for senior-care-related products, even if your senior does not have dementia.
I tend to agree with marelli that meeting your exact requirements will be tough, if not impossible. You're going to have to decide which consumer product works best for your mom in her current medical state.
Myself, we're bringing my dad with dementia home soon, as his long-term-care insurance has been depleted. I'm already cooking up potential projects in the TWINE and Raspberry Pi universes that might be workable replacements for expensive products, or even improvements on what's available.
posted by dhartung at 2:50 PM on January 22, 2013
I tend to agree with marelli that meeting your exact requirements will be tough, if not impossible. You're going to have to decide which consumer product works best for your mom in her current medical state.
Myself, we're bringing my dad with dementia home soon, as his long-term-care insurance has been depleted. I'm already cooking up potential projects in the TWINE and Raspberry Pi universes that might be workable replacements for expensive products, or even improvements on what's available.
posted by dhartung at 2:50 PM on January 22, 2013
You can get a mobile phone case with a belt clip, so she can always clip it to her waistband or purse. I have marked my phone (and various remotes) with fluorescent orange tape to help me find it fast when I'm dashing out of the house. Put a hook next to the shower at home to hang the phone on; maybe about knee level for ease of access if she falls. In a locker room, she can hang it from a hook; if she fell, she wouldn't be there long before someone came in. If you helped her set up a smart phone, it could help her take meds on time (alarm or calendar) and GPS is so helpful. A mobile phone is also great for other emergencies, like a flat tire, car accident, etc. If you put FindMyiPhone/ Android, or another tracker on a smartphone, you'd have the GPS tracking.
posted by theora55 at 7:01 PM on January 23, 2013
posted by theora55 at 7:01 PM on January 23, 2013
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The one problem with being a woman and trying to carry a phone on your body all the time is that pockets aren't always big enough or convenient, and some clothing just plain doesn't have pockets- but something like this might work.
posted by Secretariat at 9:11 AM on January 22, 2013