Life Alert-type Bracelets or Pendants....your experience?

[Kim&Chris]

My mother just had a stroke. After a few weeks of rehab, she is getting ready to come home.

I had purchased a medical bracelet from a company called Life Line that the rehab recommended, but everything is AI. When you call them, you're on the phone for about 13-15 minutes until the AI technology pushes your call to a human. Not good for anyone who is elderly, hearing impaired, or has cognitive struggles. When, and if, the user falls or needs help, the bracelet "speaks" to them in a friendly AI voice. Nice, but my mom will confuse it with a human voice and get frustrated and upset.

I am returning it today.

I'm looking for a better option. If anyone has any recommendations for companies they've used, I'd love to hear about them.

 

[LuvOrlando]

When I was pregnant I was high risk and as a result we put in a panic button with ADT, at the time it was a fob I was able to wear as a necklace or next to my chair and I'd slide it onto my neck as I waled around and keep another one next to my bed for when I was alone. I looked it up and it appears as if it is now smaller and can be worn like a watch in the house.

Now we have Simplisafe for calling police type service. I feel it is a less expensive and more mobile system that can move around with us. They do have panic buttons that can be put in many spots in the home, bathrooms, bedrooms, next to dining area and where a person likes to sit. We use this brand for all outside entrances so we know who is at the door, the door bell ones let us talk to anyone out there and it is useful for packages. When my MIL was still on her own before a memory care facility my sister in laws put in cameras in the home including her sitting area, dining area and bedroom with motion detection so they could pop in to check on her during the day to make sure she was safe. Inside we have Eufy. Both brands have the capacity to listen and we can talk through them if we wanted to enable that function - we use ours all the time to keep an eye on our puppy so we'd know is she was upsetting neighbors but we really just see her sleep. We now use 2 brands because if one is acting up we have the other but I don't think it matters what is used as most of this is similar. My sister in laws still have a camera in my MILS room at the memory care facility because she won't talk on the phone anymore.

 

[china mom]

I got my mother one through Verizon but they have long since stopped supporting them. I would look for one tgat works on cellular service and is GPS enabled if she is eventually going to be able to leave the house alone. I know there us one that alerts if tge person becomes horizontal from a fall where they don't even have to push the button

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Prayers and a hug for all in need of such a device for a loved one or yourself. They are a blessing to have. My own experience with lifeline was years ago with my beloved late Grandma. Dementia had cruelly set in enough at the time my Grandma had true need of her alert button that even when she fell she didn't remember to press it :'( I share this as a kind reminder to please make sure anyone using a life alert device has the capability to properly use it or that they are cared for by someone who can get help on their behalf. Peace and safety prayers with joy to all. God Bless you all.

 

[barkley]

for my mom we spoke to the hospital that was local to her/her physician and all specialists were affiliated with/was the default for all the ambulances to go to for where she lived. they suggested a local service that could give a bit more personalized service vs. the national companies.