Medical Alert Suggestions

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Amanda81

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Joined
Nov 1, 2012
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57
Reason
Loved one DX
Diagnosis
12/2012
Country
US
State
IL
City
Central IL
I want to get my mom a medical alert system. Any suggestions? I want something with fall detection and something that will call me and a few others before calling 911. The one I have found that I like the most is Medical Guardian, $29.95/month, no contract, no fees for equipment. Freedom Alert and Life Station do not have fall detection. I've also been told to look into Rescue Alert. Do any of you have personal experience with anything and can tell me good or bad? Thank you!
 
We had FreedomAlert. I don't know how well "fall detection" works and whether there are lots of false positives. But if someone is alone, short of being knocked unconscious, which is rare, they should be able to push a pendant button.
 
We have Lifeline which is $20 per month. We've used it about four times for falls, breathing difficulties, etc. Any service is only as good as the operators they hire and we've had mixed results. The first operator you get is not in your area, and they are the ones who call your local EMTs. Some have been very sharp and quick, others have not. But the good thing about Lifeline is that they provide different types of buttons. (The other companies may do this, too.) For a while Tom used the "necklace" and that was uncomfortable so he switched to the wrist band. After several months he could no longer push the recessed button due to lack of finger strength. He now has a 3 inch round raised foam pad attached to a velcro strap. The strap can go around his wrist or around the arm of his wheelchair. It's much more sensitive than the recessed button and very easy to push. It goes off at a touch, which is why we only use it in the rare instances when Tom is alone in the house. Diane
 
I have read that FreedomAlert does not have fall detection, so I crossed that one off of my list. LifeStation does not either. As for LifeLine, they are never at the top of the reviews, so I haven't even looked very deep into their services. I think I'm going to go with Medical Guardian. I have read great reviews about their customer service and had a good experience when I called to ask questions myself. I also just read that they have the ability to use a mobile device instead of a landline. I will try to update this post with good and bad experiences (but I hope we never have to use it!).
 
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