In-Home Medical Alerts Vs. Mobile Life Alert Devices - Which Is Better?

Although it is impossible to avoid the chances of injury or other medical emergencies, a medical alert system can help individuals get quick assistance. Once activated, these tiny, personal medical gadgets, which can be worn as a necklace or a bracelet, directly connect to an emergency response call center instantaneously. Elderly, grown-ups with medical conditions, and individuals who need the security of knowing they can ask for assistance by pushing a button are becoming fans of medical alert systems. Medicaid and private insurance providers sometimes cover medical alert systems, and most emergency support button systems require a person to sign up for a monitoring service.

Components of a Medical Alert System

A basic medical alert system consists of a base unit and a handheld help button that connects to a landline phone. At sfgate.com, people can find the best medical alert systems available in the market. They are incredibly simple to set up; one simply uses the included phone cable to connect the unit to their phone jack, then plug their phone into the supplementary jack on the unit. One connects the power cord, waits a few seconds for the system to boot up, and then they are ready to go when the LED indicator goes green. In order to ensure that all is working, it is a smart option (and urged by providers) to perform a test by pushing the help button on the base unit. One simply informs an agent that they are conducting a test once they have been connected. They will double-check their identity and ensure that everything is in order. The base unit resembles a speakerphone and serves as one, but its primary function is to link someone to a live emergency service agent without needing to answer the phone. It has a big, straightforward help or panic button, which is usually colored red and is the unit's biggest and most visible button. It also has a speaker and an integrated microphone for two-way hands-free interaction and an LED status indicator, and a reset switch that, depending on the device, can perform a variety of functions. On some devices, pushing the reset button will totally cancel the call to the emergency center. On others, it will suppress the audible alarm but not the call. This will require individuals to speak with an agent to inform them that everything is fine. Emergency personnel may also use it to notify the response center that assistance has arrived.

Contacting the Emergency Service

One should make sure that their base unit has a built-in battery backup system that will continue to work even if the power goes out. The handheld help button can be worn as a necklace pendant or as a watch on one's wrist. Even though there are portable buttons with integrated GPS technology that one can travel with, it is devised for use within and around the home. If individuals require assistance while at home or in their backyard, they simply press the pendant/wristband button to contact the response center. If someone is unable to give a response to the agent because they are unable to get close enough to the base unit, the agent will attempt to contact people on their list of contacts before contacting 911. Portable help buttons are mostly waterproof, allowing them to be worn in the shower, and they can connect with the base unit from up to 1,500 feet away. To determine the range of one's help pendant, press the button from various locations throughout the house and garden. A fall-detection pendant performs the same functions as a normal help button pendant, but it also includes built-in sensors that can detect if someone has taken a spill, prompting a call to the emergency center. They usually charge a monthly fee on top of that.

Comparisons

In-home medical alert systems are perfect for people who seldom, if ever, leave the house. But if someone lives an active lifestyle, a mobile medical alert system should be considered. When someone leaves the house, they take their mobile system with them, which uses GPS tracking to pinpoint their precise location and mobile technology to connect individuals to an emergency response center. Mobile units are generally bigger and heavier than basic handheld help buttons, but they are still tiny enough to fit as a pendant conveniently. They have a help button, which rings the response center, and a speaker and microphone for two-way interaction. Portable pendants are rechargeable and can be purchased with a fall-detection detector for an extra monthly charge.