Do You Need a Medical Alert?

Sometimes it is difficult to admit when we need help. Whether we are prideful or simply do not want to inconvenience others, sometimes we suffer in silence. Fortunately, if you are a senior you do not have to compromise your sense of independence or your privacy in order to receive the level of care that you are comfortable with. A medical alert can be just the answer you were looking for to solve your difficult situation.

A medical alert is a system that allows the customer to be put in contact with emergency services at the touch of a button. A pendant that is worn at all times serves as a type of speed dial to a safety monitoring center. You are immediately asked by the operator who receives your distress call what it is that you are in need of and the appropriate authorities are immediately dispatched to your home to take care of your needs.

A medical alert sure sounds like a nice thing to have around. But how can you know if investing in a medical alert is really going to pay off? And how are you supposed to know if you even need a medical alert in the first place. Below is a simple series of questions that you can ask yourself to evaluate whether or not you need a medical alert system in order to increase your level of personal safety.

Questions to ask yourself to determine if you could benefit from a medical alert system:

• Do you need the assistance of a device such as a walker or cane to get around your home?
• Have you ever taken a fall or multiple falls in your home that were serious enough to need to be treated by a doctor?
• Do you have brittle bones or difficulty healing after an injury?
• Do you have trouble getting up after a fall, balancing yourself or moving yourself around?
• Do you live alone?
• Do you suffer from vision, hearing, emotional, or medical problems? Do you take regular medications for any of these problems?
• Do you suffer from anxiety or feel unsafe in your home?
• Have you visited the hospital for any reason besides to receive a test of some sort in the last 12 months?
• If you do not currently have any serious medical conditions are you at risk for any?
• Is there a safety hazard in your home that would be difficult to correct (i.e. a flight of stairs leading to the bedroom, large scale disrepair, etc.)
• Are you older than 75 years old?

If you have answered “yes” to any of the above asked questions you may need to seriously consider whether or not you are taking precautions to ensure that you can get the kind of help that could save your life, were you to need it. Many seniors do not fully realize the dangers that are present in their own home. Studies have shown that nearly one third of all seniors age 65 and older will suffer from an injury that is acquired in the home. That statistic is frightening. Not taking the precautions necessary to protect yourself is foolish and could ultimately cost you your life. Additionally, failure to secure your own home and your well-being while you are there could be motivation enough for your loved ones to step in and take care of your safety on your behalf by having you move into a retirement home or assisted living center. Some seniors enjoy living in such facilities but many more miss the comfort and privacy of their own homes as well as the independence that they lose as a result of being monitored at all times by nursing home personnel.