I have lived alone for 3-1/2 years. During this time many caring friends suggested I look at fall detection devices. Another friend who lived alone suffered a stroke several years ago and was not discovered for 3 days. A woman in my bereavement group had been the caregiver for her husband with advanced dementia. She fell in their home in an area where she could not get to a phone. Her husband did not recognize the problem and did not understand when she asked him to call 911. Several days passed until they were discovered. Both women sustained more serious medical damages because they did not get care quickly enough.
Like most people I had no desire to actually pay for a device that would automatically make me feel and appear to be older and less independent. Did I ever think the “I’ve Fallen and Can’t Get Up” advertising campaign could be directed to me and my age group? I had three serious falls in my early 60’s all resulting in trips to the hospital or urgent care center and stitches. Maybe it was time to seriously consider the need for a personal emergency device or PERS?
Where to start? It should be pretty easy, right? Actually there are many options and price levels so selecting the right one can take some research. What is a medical alert system? What is a fall detection device? What do I need? What will I really use regularly?
The typical medical alert system is a pendant that can and should be worn all the time including sleeping and showering. Some companies also make a bracelet device. These require the user to push on the pendant or button to summon help. This help can be a dispatcher on a monitored system or a friend on a non-monitored system. The monitored systems have activation fees and monthly fees. The charge for the unmonitored systems is only for the device.
Earlier medical alert systems were designed to operate in your home using your landline phone. Now many systems allow for mobile protection outside your home.
The eight companies I researched had monthly fees ranging from $20 to $50 and activation fees from $0 to $95. Some have contracts with cancellation fees and some do not. The companies were well known from their advertising campaigns: Bay Alarm, Great Call, Life Alert and Medical Alert.
Another issue to think about when purchasing a medical alert type device is do I need the added protection of fall detection? If I feel I am at a high risk of falling, this would provide an added level of security. Fall detection devices are able to determine whether your activity is normal or you have had a fall. Most companies can add this feature while substantially raising their monthly fee. Fall detection is a relatively new technology and does not guarantee to pick up 100 percent of falls.
I looked at these devices and simply could not convince myself that I would regularly wear one. We have all heard stories of friends who keep their pendants in the drawer of their nightstand on the odd chance they will need it. My friend Vesta showed me her new Apple Series 4 Watch at lunch one day. She showed me all the features and told me it cost around $400. My reaction was that this was a pretty expensive watch. I continued to look around and realized that other medical alert devices with fall detection would end up being more expensive on a yearly basis.
After visiting lots of stores and many internet sites, I went with the Apple Watch Series 4. It has fall detection and also an SOS button that you can slide in a non-fall emergency. Having an Apple IPhone is necessary. Without the safety features, I would not have bought it, but it has many functions I find helpful every day. It receives texts, emails and also advises me about where I am with my exercise goals. For anyone with other Apple devices, it is very user friendly and Apple offers free classes on it frequently.
I put this off for a long time but I will have to admit that I do actually feel more secure when I am driving at night, walking my two rowdy dogs in the park and just going to sleep in the evening. This works well for me but there are many other great options that can end up saving our lives.