Re: emergency call systems

Lacey1 · ‎03-09-2010

Some of the systems that I've seen: There is a console with a big button on it. If the customer does not press the button every day by a certain time-the system will call, if no answer-they will activate the emergency procedure. Some come with a necklace and/or wristband button. They might be kind of pricey, but I, personally know of several occasions that they have saved lives. They also can be integrated with security systems. If someone breaks in while the customer is sleeping, or a fire/ carbon monoxide emergency is detected-the proper people will be notified. One of my elderly neighbors fell down the cellar steps and laid there for 24 hours-if she would've had one, she would've gotten help sooner.

millieshops · ‎03-09-2010

Something I "learned" when my sister had a call system: It doesn't work if you don't use it!

My sister's children lived hours away from her, so her call system was set up to notify neighbors, #1 a friend in her 80's. Once at 2 in the morning, sister fell in her bathroom and struggled for over 45 minutes to get up. Why no help? - although she was wearing her emergency button, she didn't want to wake her friend.

Please, please- when you set up whatever system is best for you, be sure you're comfortable with the whole set-up. I also experienced a doctor telling my aunt she wasn't a candidate for a call system: "You won't use it when you should, and you'll be using it when it's not necessary." He was right- within a few months her dementia was so severe, I was searching nursing homes for her.

Local offices for the aging, hospital social workers, church outreach officers, even your reference librarian are all helpful when a call system is right for you. They are for so many of us who live alone.

Lavenderjunkie · ‎03-10-2010

We investigated these for my Mom about a year ago. They are not all the same in terms of their range inside/outside, some are land line based, some are cell phone based. Also we learned that if you press the button, and the call center person connects and talks to you..... you can only hear and converse with them if you are in the same room as the base unit (unless it's a cell based system, and then you must have the phone with you). The pendants do not have speaker on them. They only transmit a signal to the base unit to place the emergency call. If the call center can't talk with you they will call 911. If you don't answer the door, emergency services will break it down.

Also, the agreement you are asked to sign is very one sided. It might only be 2 pages, and they might say it is not a contract because the service is month to month. But the agreement you sign makes you ( and your heirs) liable for a lot of things, including mistakes made by the company. Most people don't bother reading, they just sign. Not a good idea.

We ended up buying a stand alone device for my Mom. It's not connected to any service. If she presses the alert button the system calls a series of phone #'s we have programmed, with the message she has recorded. It's not perfect (she can't talk the responder if she is not in the same room as the base unit), but there is no agreement to sign and no monthly fees.

Good luck. Do your research. Ask lots of questions. Also recognize that once you contact these companies you get on their list and they keep bugging you. They also sell you name and phone #/email. Also there are some scams, where a company robo calls to say your device is ready for shipment... implying you have ordered something. Just hang up on them asap.

Diamonds22 · ‎03-09-2010

I highly recommend ""5 Star"" that is on the www.GreatCall.com website. It is advertised by John Walsh of America's Most Wanted. It is like a GPS & is only $14.99 a month & no contract. I had got one for my husband & it worked great. You can take it with you where ever you go. I could take my husband with me for example to the grocery store & he would sit in the car while I ran in for a few things & if he needed help he would push the button & they would know exactly his location. Luckily he never needed it but it was peace of mind for both of us. He wore it around the neck & just knowing if I wasn't around he could push the button & bingo he was connected.

Diamonds22

lyndapace · ‎12-25-2012

On 3/8/2014 lavenderjunkie said:
We investigated these for my Mom about a year ago. They are not all the same in terms of their range inside/outside, some are land line based, some are cell phone based. Also we learned that if you press the button, and the call center person connects and talks to you..... you can only hear and converse with them if you are in the same room as the base unit (unless it's a cell based system, and then you must have the phone with you). The pendants do not have speaker on them. They only transmit a signal to the base unit to place the emergency call. If the call center can't talk with you they will call 911. If you don't answer the door, emergency services will break it down.

Also, the agreement you are asked to sign is very one sided. It might only be 2 pages, and they might say it is not a contract because the service is month to month. But the agreement you sign makes you ( and your heirs) liable for a lot of things, including mistakes made by the company. Most people don't bother reading, they just sign. Not a good idea.

We ended up buying a stand alone device for my Mom. It's not connected to any service. If she presses the alert button the system calls a series of phone #'s we have programmed, with the message she has recorded. It's not perfect (she can't talk the responder if she is not in the same room as the base unit), but there is no agreement to sign and no monthly fees.

Good luck. Do your research. Ask lots of questions. Also recognize that once you contact these companies you get on their list and they keep bugging you. They also sell you name and phone #/email. Also there are some scams, where a company robo calls to say your device is ready for shipment... implying you have ordered something. Just hang up on them asap.

thanks to everybody for all the suggestions. I worked for the state of florida for 20 years, but when I called the council on aging I Pensacola, you never get a return call. I am going to check with my former administrator (opa) in my town and see if she can give me some guidance. also, I have been checking all the various companies online. talk about confusing. and now with my prescription plan changing my co-pays higher on my prescriptions, it is getting out of hand. I don't have a landline anymore to save money, just an inexpensive straight talk from Wal-Mart. I heard on the news the other day that if you use a cell phone for an emergency. they may not be able to find you, that only the general area.comes across. it's all very confusing. thanks again. i'll start checking more next week. lynda

itsmetoo · ‎03-10-2010

I have also heard that if you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone that it does not go directly to your local fire/police dept. like it would with a land line. That could waste valuable time in a life or death situation if it's true.

Edited to add:

I just found this information: <<When you call 911 from a cell phone, the call often lands in a regional center. A call-taker in a far-away city or county may answer your call. When you make a 911 call on a cell phone, you are sending signals through the air. The tower that picks up your phone's signal may be near, but it isn't enough to tell the dispatcher where to find you. It's like playing "Marco Polo" in the pool - blindfolded with just sound to guide you. Calling 911 from a landline (a telephone connected to the lines on the poles) makes a computer in the dispatch center show the number and address of the phone you're using. >> HTH