Seniors Safety Product Review
Do you have family members that live alone and are at risk of falls? Most people do. In a previous blog I suggested those who do may want to start thinking about a safety device for their loved ones. I then thought it might be valuable to review the options and discuss the pros and cons of each of them. I have looked into the main options, as well as a few make-do ideas that I have heard that people use:
The Apple Watch
Cost: $550 and upwards
This option does require data. The Apple Watch is not intended specifically as a safety devise, but offers many handy features that can be used in this way such as GPS, heart rate monitor, sleep tracker etc.
The fall monitoring feature has to be manually opened by the user, but the watch can and will will detect falls. It might be appealing to your family member as it looks and feels like a regular watch. If you pay for a cell package, coverage would be anywhere, home, forest, anywhere there is data.
An advantage is that the owner owns the watch, and there are no monitoring fees paid out to anyone, the only monthly cost is the internet and phone fees. It has email, text, etc, so is handy in a variety of ways other than just for safety. It is perhaps better for people don’t need as much support and can take advantage of its features.
The Series 4 is water resistant, and as falls often happen in the bath or shower, that is especially needed. It is likely there is a steep learning curve, but families can monitor the watch easily through apps, it is best for a tech-savvy family who understand the advantages to this option.Phillips Lifeline
Cost: $30-$65/month plus cost of the equipment itself (around $150)
Lifeline is a medical alert company that offers a variety of products. Most options involve a lanyard with a device attached that is monitored remotely. There is a button the individual can press and get a voice response from a monitoring service.
As the company is designed for the senior, there is a quality of products and experience provided, including a medication dispenser, a wireless device that does not require a landline, and smartphone notifications for a senior that is out and about with their phone. The company is accredited and across Canada, and has been in place for over 40 years.
There is a quick install, and access to “check in “ calls. With this option, you get what you pay for, a service tailored to your family members need, and access to someone on the other end of the button to talk to. There is also flexibility with some of the pricing. This is probably the most well known safety device.Medic Alert
Cost: $60 for bracelet and 1 year of online passive registry
Medic Alert is probably the first safety device developed. They offer a variety of bracelets, watches and necklaces that medical personnel would recognize in an emergency and call the 24 hour line for.
Information. The operator has information on file that can be shared in an emergency, such as allergies, location, medical conditions. This is a cheap option, but it does not really kick in until there is an emergency of some kind, and would not be of assistance for the individual who falls in their home and can’t get to a phone.Telus
Cost :$25-$55/month in addition to regular phone and internet service
Telus provides a “personal emergency response service providing 24/7 support with the push of a button and an optional fall detection feature”. Like Lifeline, there are cheaper and more expensive choices. and it uses GPS and has fall detection.
The program is called is Living Well and is attached to your paid internet package. It uses the regular telephone operator for the 24 hour monitoring. One would need to do more research into the variety of options and how they compare in detail to Lifeline, but at first glance it appears to be a cheaper option.Volunteer buddy system
This would be a system set up by the family where they set up volunteers who do phone checks or regular visits on your family member. The advantage of course is that there is no cost at all. One downside is it depends on the regularity of timely checks.
There are volunteer agencies out there in our community that could provide the service as well, and it could be supplemented by daily telephone calls from family members, and “eyes on” from neighbors. Call this the "old fashioned” method.Your own cell phone
Cost: the price of your cell phone coverage and possibly the apps
This uses “Siri”, and apps that exist on your phone to help you. Check out this link of 10 safety apps!
Do not underestimate what the phone can do for you. There is GPS, there are health apps that track sleep, heart rate, all sorts of things. It is worth considering if you and your family member use and like phones and phone technology.
Setting them up on your senior’s phone is easy. Tracking on your computer is also easy. I recall hearing a story here about a person who was trapped under a piece of farm equipment and called “hey Siri” to reach 911. It saved his life, as is a feature on some iPhones.
I wrote this article after weeks of thinking about it because I have talked to a lot of people who are worried about the care and safety of people in their lives who live alone and as at increasing risk. I will provide more information in this area in upcoming blogs. Please share this blog on your twitter, or email it to someone who could use this information. Please post it on your Facebook page, because I think there are people out there who need this kind of information. Cheers and happy long weekend!