Why GPS Tracking is a Game-Changer for Medical Alerts

In the past, medical alerts and panic buttons for seniors worked at home only. They usually came with a receiver device that plugged into the wall and had a limited range of reception.

But, just like phones, medical alerts have broken free of their constraints. Now, more sophisticated medical alerts are mobile and can be used while you’re outside or at home. While the non-mobile kind of medical alerts still have their uses – they’re good for elderly people who are bed-bound, for example – mobile alarms are a far better option for the majority of seniors.

In recent years, mobile medical alerts have taken another huge step forward. The most advanced medical alerts have added GPS tracking – and that’s a massive difference that changes the game when it comes to protecting seniors as fully as possible.

Why does GPS tracking make such a difference? Let’s talk about how it can boost the safety of seniors in a variety of situations.

How does GPS tracking work?

The GPS in the SureSafeGo medical alert uses mobile networks to know where it is. It works anywhere in the US that has mobile phone signals, and its SIM will pick up the strongest mobile network near it.

Family, friends and caregivers of the alert wearer can download an app that lets them know your location. If they are worried and want to check where you are, they can use the Find Me feature, and the alert device will give them a location that’s accurate to within 6-11 yards of you.

There are many more features, too, that can give peace of mind and safety to seniors while they’re outdoors or away from home.

How GPS tracking changes the game

The core feature for a medical alert is a panic button or SOS button that an older person can press if they need help and no-one is around. That’s why mobile alerts are so crucial – they allow elderly people to call for assistance when they’re outside as well as inside.

But what happens after an older person sends out an emergency alert? That’s where GPS tracking comes in.

When accidents happen to an older person who can’t communicate

With the best medical alerts, like our SureSafeGo device, you can speak directly through the alert device to helpers after you press the SOS button. That’s great for some seniors – but other older people or situations need more.

For example, medical incidents like strokes can leave a person unable to find the words they need to say. So, just at the moment when someone needs to be located, they could be unable to explain where they are.

With GPS tracking on the SureSafeGo, the alert device sends out your location, so whoever is contacted by the alarm will see where you are right away.

When an elderly person isn’t awake or conscious

There are also times, of course, where an emergency leaves an older person unconscious. For example, they might pass out due to medication side effects or knock their head in a fall. Another medical alert feature steps in here to work perfectly with GPS tracking here.

A functionality called automatic fall detection allows the medical alert to send out a call for help if its sensors tell it that the alarm wearer has fallen. That means there’s no need for the older person wearing the alarm to press an SOS button at all. Then, when helpers receive the SOS notification, they can use GPS tracking to find the elderly person who needs help fast.

When seniors with dementia need help or a layer of safety

Protecting an older person with dementia can be tough, but GPS tracking can provide assistance.

Let’s take an older person in the early stages of dementia. Perhaps they get a little bit confused at times, but they’re still considered safe to drive. Since dementia will get worse over time, a day will come when this senior will start to experience worse symptoms. They might even get lost while driving or out shopping and need help. Yet if they can’t recognize their surroundings or have forgotten what they’re doing, they could find it difficult to explain where they are. GPS tracking fills in the gaps here, allowing this older person to get help and reassurance.

GPS tracking protects seniors with more advanced dementia, too. Often, older people with severe dementia will have the urge to wander away from caregivers when they’re in public. They may not understand what’s happening to them or have hallucinations that make them run away. Or they may try to return to a childhood home.

Whatever the reason, it’s essential for seniors in this situation to be located fast. That’s because older people with severe dementia are unable to take care of themselves properly – they may cross roads without looking for cars or wander around in severe cold or heat.

GPS tracking lets caregivers track elderly people with dementia who have gone missing or gotten lost, so they can be returned to an area where they’re safe and looked after.

And the SureSafeGo dementia tracker device has another feature that adds even more protection for older people with advanced dementia …

When seniors with dementia leave home and no-one notices

It’s great to be able to find an older person with dementia when they’re missing. But it’s even better to get an alert as soon as the senior with dementia leaves their home area. And that’s exactly what the SureSafe dementia tracker’s geo-fencing function does.

With geo-fencing, caregivers can set a virtual ‘fence’ on the alarm, telling the device where it is and isn’t safe for the alert wearer to be. If the alarm wearer crosses the ‘fence’ and leaves their home, the medical alert device or dementia tracker will send an alert to caregivers immediately, allowing them to stop the older person from going farther away from home.

When family wants to keep an eye on an older person’s activities

The SureSafeGo’s GPS tracking function doesn’t just tell family, friends and caregivers where a senior is. It also lets them know where the senior has been.

This can be good in many scenarios. For example, if family members want to make sure their relative has remembered to go to a doctor’s appointment, they can check the device’s history and confirm that their older relative was at the doctor’s office earlier that day. In other words, this functionality gives family members peace of mind, letting them watch out for and track elderly loved ones even if they're not nearby.

Peace of mind for seniors and families with GPS tracking

There’s nothing more worrying than suspecting that an older loved one is in trouble, but not knowing where to go to assist them. With GPS tracking, you can rest easier because you have a way to find your elderly relative in emergencies or know their location if you just want to make sure they’re okay.

And if you want a reliable, easy-to-use medical alert with all the features we’ve discussed, turn to SureSafe. Our glowing reviews are a testament to our more than a decade of work in protecting older people using alarm devices.

Ready to get started with a medical alert with GPS tracking, or just curious to know more? Reach out to our expert team through our contact form or call us at 888 540 7193. You can also email [email protected], try our live chat or request a call back.