For decades, medical alerts have been a key tool for the safety and wellbeing of seniors. So, if you’re thinking about how to protect an elderly person, whether that’s yourself or a parent, you might be thinking about getting a medical alert device.

But what is a medical alert, anyway? Why do so many seniors use them? If you’re new to the world of medical alerts for the elderly, this article is for you. We’ll explore all the basics of these devices, including what they do and why they’re so important.

What is the purpose of a medical alert device?

At the most basic level, a medical alert device lets an older person call for help fast and easily if they’re facing an emergency. Since it’s worn on the body, it’s always within reach.

This provides peace of mind and a layer of safety for older people when they’re alone – whether that’s because they live alone or just because they’re out taking the dog for a walk.

Why do seniors need medical alert devices?

Elderly people need medical alerts because they are:

More likely to experience medical emergencies and falls
More likely to be harmed by an accident or fall or have trouble getting up after it

Let’s dive deeper into some situations where alerts are needed.

Falls

It is tragically common for elderly people to experience falls or other emergencies and find themselves stuck lying down on the floor of their homes, unable to get up. In this situation, they have no choice but to wait until someone notices something isn’t right – which could be days later.

As you can imagine, the experience of lying on the floor for hours is traumatizing – not to mention painful for an older person who is injured from a fall. It’s dangerous, too, if a senior is on the floor so long they can’t get food or water, or they can’t get a blanket to warm up with. This situation can lead to lasting disability or worse.

According to the CDC, over a quarter of older Americans fall at least once each year. In other words, falls are a real threat to seniors. And though it’s easy to assume that a call phone will be nearby to use to get help, that’s not always true. A phone that’s just a foot or so away up on a table is no use at all to a senior who can’t get off the floor.

But this painful situation of lying on the floor after a fall can be easily prevented with a simple device – a medical alert device. Instead of suffering a day-long ordeal, an older person simply presses a button to call for help immediately. With the SureSafeGo medical alert device, the elderly person can even speak directly through the device to get comfort and reassurance while help is on the way.

Medical emergencies

Falls aren’t the only threat to older people. Seniors are also typically at higher risk for medical emergencies like heart attacks and strokes. It’s especially important for a senior with high blood pressure or heart disease to have a plan in place for what they’ll do in a crisis.

This is where a medical alert device’s simplicity is important. A senior who is seriously ill, injured, or losing consciousness may not be able to dial a phone even if they happen to have their call phone at hand. But a medical alert device’s SOS button only takes a few seconds to press – no need to even pull up a list of contacts. That’s why a medical alert device can make all the difference when it comes to calling for help.

And it’s also key to remember that medical emergencies can also leave a senior lying on the floor, unable to get up – which takes us back to our first point.

Living alone – or not

It’s great when an older person is healthy and independent enough to remain living in their own home as they age. But of course, this brings risks if no-one else is around to give assistance or even to notice that the elderly person is unwell.

A medical alert device is a great solution. It allows seniors to keep their independence and know they have a way to call for help if they need it.

But seniors who live alone aren’t the only ones who can benefit from medical alerts. Most older people, even ones who live with family, are alone at some point during the day or night. Medical alerts can help them to call for help while loved ones or out at work. And a medical alert device can also raise the alarm if an older person falls while walking to or from the bathroom at night, when everyone else is asleep.

What features does a good medical alert have?

We’ve already started to mention the features that are crucial in medical alert devices. Now let’s discuss them in more detail.

One-touch SOS button

The core feature of most medical alert devices is the SOS button. This is a button that calls for assistance with a single touch, which is crucial for a senior who’s losing consciousness due to a medical emergency or who is injured and can’t move well. The older person just needs to press and hold the button for a few seconds – nothing more complicated than that is required.

Body-worn

Another crucial feature is that medical alert devices are worn on the body, such as on a pendant or belt clip. That means they’re within reach even when an older person is away from their phone.

Many medical alert devices, like ours at SureSafe, are shower-proof, so they can be worn on a pendant in the shower. That’s important because the slippery floor of a bathroom and the high sides of a bathtub can be a recipe for dangerous falls.

Automatic fall detection

What if an older person falls and hits their head, ending up unconscious on the floor? Or what if a medical emergency strikes while they’re standing, and they fall to the floor and pass out immediately, before they can even press their SOS button?

Automatic fall detection is a backup layer of protection in these situations. Devices with this feature include sensors that are constantly checking to see whether the person wearing the alert has fallen. If the device’s algorithm concludes from its sensors’ readings that a fall has occurred, it will call for help all by itself – no need for any SOS button to be pressed at all.

GPS tracking

So far, we’ve mostly discussed emergencies at home. But of course, emergencies can also happen while an older person is outside and alone.

If an elderly person falls while they’re away from home, the features we’ve listed might not be enough. When people come to assist, how will they know where to go?

This is where GPS tracking comes in. With the SureSafeGo, loved ones can locate their elderly relative using an app. So, if an emergency alert comes in, there’s no mystery about where helpers or an ambulance need to head.

GPS tracking also gives family members peace of mind. If it’s a snowy day and they want to make sure their older loved one made it home safe on icy roads, they can just check the app – no need to even make a phone call.

Geo-fencing

GPS tracking works great with geo-fencing, a special feature for seniors with dementia.

Many types of dementia can cause a person to wander away from home and get lost. Seniors who have dementia may even not realize they’re home and try to return to someplace they lived decades ago.

With geo-fencing on a dementia tracker device, family and friends decide on a safe area where the senior is expected to be. If the older person leaves this safe zone, the medical alert device will inform family and friends. That way, they can prevent a situation where the older person has been gone for an hour before anyone realizes they’re missing.

Choosing the right monitoring option for you

There’s one more factor to know about medical alerts for seniors.

When you choose your medical alert device, you’ll need to decide who it calls in an emergency. With SureSafe, you get two options, so you can opt for the one that’s right for your needs.

Family monitoring is one option. It means that in an emergency the device contacts phone numbers that you have given it. This is great for seniors who live just down the street from friends and family.

24/7 monitoring is the other option. In an emergency, the device contacts a professional response center. This can be very helpful if family members have jobs where they can’t answer their phones during some or all of the day. When the response center receives a call, the personnel there then decide whether to call emergency services or other contacts they’ve been given.

Simple and affordable protection for seniors

At SureSafe, we have over a decade of experience providing safety alarm solutions. That’s why we know that seniors need medical alerts that are affordable, easy to use and reliable – like our SureSafeGo.

So, if you’re wondering whether a medical alert device is right for your older loved one, or if you need a little guidance about choosing or using your device, our expert team is here to assist. Just send us a message through our contact form, call us at 888 540 7193 or send a quick email to [email protected]. You can also use our live chat or request a call back.