Now we have the system…it’s tested and working (so easy!), and my mom wants to know if she can keep the necklace on in the shower? If you have already provided this info somewhere, I apologize for not finding it on my own.

Thanks,

Mary

REPLY

Hi Mary,

Absolutely mom can where it in the shower or tub, just not in the swimming pool. The pool’s chlorine will effect the seal of the help button necklace she is wearing, eventually causing the seal to become brittle and break.

We feel your mother should absolutely wear the pendant transmitter in the shower or tub, it is one of the most critical places where senior citizens fall and can’t get help.

Jeff

…but when I used the live chat to ask about using your system with our fiber optic phone service (Verizon FIOS) I was told it wouldn’t work.  Is that correct?  We do not use VOIP and I thought FIOS was more like DSL.  But maybe not.

Actually I thought our consideration might be electricity - as I understand it, the FIOS uses on a box that’s hooked up to electricity and is therefore subject to power outages.

Can you clear all of this up before we take our next step?

Thanks very much,

Mary

REPLY

Hi  Mary in Florida,

I am not familiar with FIOS. I would be most happy to research exactly what it is with Verizon.

If you can wait a day, or possibly hours, I can let you know if we can work with it.

Unless you know, do you just plug a standard phone into an rj11 outlet…standard phone outlet…and then the phone works. If that is the case, our system will work.

Please let me know before I do research.

Thanks,

Jeff

HER REPLY

I just spoke with Verizon, so if anyone else asks…the fiber is simply an upgrade to the copper wiring of old land lines.  Otherwise, the difference is that, if there’s a power outage, the isn’t a generator down at a substation that kicks in to keep the phones working — it’s the battery backup in your own house.  So it does work the same…and I’ll be placing our order later today!

Thanks for the quick response to my question.

Mary

REPLY

Great thanks for the new info.

Jeff

I have an employee who’s mother has Lou Gehrig’s disease and cannot move her arms. The father is also in the home caring for the mother.

They are looking for a voice activated medical alarm in case something happens to the father and the mother has to be able to notify someone. Is there anything like this on the market?
Thank you,
Beatrice

REPLY:

Hi Barrie,

My former distributor and friend Bay Area Vital Link…from the first company I founded in 1981…I believe does have a device that you can blow into to activate the alarm.

I feel for your employee as my own father passed from ALS in the mid 80’s.

Here is the website, and Arthur Hoffman would be the man to speak to.

www.vital-linkinc.com

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

I need to get some type of medical alert device for both my Mother and Father. But our home is quite large. If there is only one device that calls and they respond into, how does that work from the kitchen, to the den, to the bedroom to the bathroom and another bedroom and bathroom way down the hall? 

Recently my Mother has fallen twice and all she needed was assistance to get up and not an ambulance. Our home is so large that my Father could not hear her and he could not have assisted her anyway. Is there any company that has multiple base units?

Pat

REPLY

Hi Pat,

One device will suffice in your large home. Your parents simply both need to wear their own help button to notify us that they need help. Even if your parent couldn’t be heard or was unable to speak, we would still know that they are in trouble and send out the local 911 services in your area…that may be the fire department, EMS or paramedics. It all depends on your city.

Multiple speaker boxes in the home can cause a problem, since both will be receiving the signal simultaneously. The pendant transmitter (help button) that they wear on their neck or wrist will work up to 300 feet or more…it all depends on your local environment.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

“Rescue Alert” offers a lufetime payment.  I hate bills coming in and wonder if this is wise. Under this plan they say you own  your own unit.  Do they hold up well?  I am tempted with this.  What do you think?  I am 86.

Elynore

Honolulu, HI

REPLY

Hi Elynore,

It seems to me that they are one of the good companies. However, I personally don’t feel that buying the equipment is a good way to go.

If you like their company, just set up an  automatic payment scheme…I’m sure they take credit cards or direct payment through your bank.

I would also suggest that you peruse the information here about our medical alert system, I believe we give the best service in the land…it’s really not about the medical alert equipment…it’s about the service behind it.

In the past, I have spoken to the President of Rescue Alert to discuss industry matters and he seems like a nice chap running a clean business.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

Jeff,

My mother has a very soft voice and is also hard of hearing. My concern is placement of the speaker box in our 2 story house so that she would be heard in the event of a fall. Where would we place it (her bedroom is upstairs but she spends her days downstairs) so that she could communicate with your operator? What is the range of your speaker box?

Thanks.

Alice

Reply

Hi Alice,

The speaker box to our GET HELP NOW medical alarm system is best placed centrally within the house. We hear pretty well throughout a 3000 square foot home.

Conversation through the speaker box, with a soft spoken lady like your mom may be difficult depending where she falls and which way she is facing. Nonetheless, we will know that she is in trouble and alert her local 911 EMS service that mom has fallen and needs help.

Even people with strong voices sometimes are in an a difficult position in the corner of a basement and may have trouble being heard as in a conversation, or worse yet, sometimes they are unable to speak at all. But, we still know they are in trouble and send help.

I suspect since your mom’s house is a 2 story home one of the best placements for the speaker box would be near the stairs.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

Good morning Jeff, found your Website through Google. Here’s my dilemma. My 80 yr.old mother and 75 yr. old dad live in Irvine ,KY. Aprox. 20 miles out of town. There is no cell service there. (I live in Dayton, OH) Mom has emphysema and drags around an oxygen hose 24 hrs. a day.  Last Tuesday she took her first fall (in 10 yrs.)from becoming tangled in that hose. Dad was out in the garage/barn puttering and had no way of knowing she fell. She rug burnt her face some and was VERY sore for a couple of days but was lucky enough ,this time, not to break anything.  What I’m looking for is some kind of a personal, not Lifeline systems, alert system that they both can wear on their persons and use to contact each other if necessary. They already have walkie talkies that they both forget to turn on or leave lying someplace she can’t reach. She would need Dad long before any emergency personal could reach them. Can you help me? Thanks a million,

Lana

REPLY

Hi Lana,

I would recommend our GET HELP NOW medical alarm system for your parents. It will cover the needs you stated…and in my opinion we give great service.  However, regardless if you choose Senior Safety for your medical alert system or another. You’re thinking is correct, it’s time to protect mom and dad with a dependable medical alert system.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

Hi Jeff, Will medicare help with the cost of a medical alert system?

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

To date, we have not heard of Medicare covering a medical alarm. Medicaid certainly does cover medical alarms under certain circumstances.

If your mom or dad had Medicaid I would certainly give it a try.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

Jeff – We are in the process of researching a medical alarm system for my father, who lives with us.

In reading through your section on medical alarm issues, question #2 left me with one more question.

I understand all the problems with DSL, wireless hacks, splitters & VOIP – the question is then how does your system work?  Does it need to plug directly into its own phone jack> Does it instead operate via radio frequency, rather than phone lines?  How does it work???

Thank you for your time and assistance in this question.

Sue

REPLY

Hi Sue,

 Yes, our medical alarms plug directly into the phone system. That can be via regular plain old phone jacks as well as DSL. Splitters are okay as long as they are used correctly.

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Proticol) are not okay…to risky.

Wireless jacks ofter present problems with medical alarm systems.

Hope this helps,

 Jeff Miller

Dear Jeff,

I am a fairly young single mom with a 5 year old and diabetes. We had a very scary incident where I passed out with an extremely low blood sugar and my child could not dial 911. She said she tried several times but she could not get the phone to work. Plus it was stormy outside and she was scared since I was knocked out on the floor. It was awful. She finally walked to the neighbors house and got some help.

I need to ask you for your best advice on what I should do. I feel like these monitoring systems are a good idea. Especially the one with a wall-mount button that my child can push if there is ever a problem again. I am way too young to have to worry about this, but I am unwilling to put her through that trauma again and am looking for the easiest way possible for her to contact help. I know it won’t be too much longer before she can handle dialing the phone properly, but I just want to do what I can to prevent her feeling so helpless.

Can you PLEASE go out on a limb for me and recommend to me the company that you feel the best about? I am sure you are not into endorsing anyone, but I really need a good recommendation here if you can help me. Also, is there some other alternative that you know of that I may not have thought about? I am all ears right now!

Thank you very much for your time and attention to my situation. I am greatly looking forward to hearing from you.

Blessings on your day,

Melissa  

Atlanta, Georgia

REPLY

Hi Melissa,

Boy, that is a scary situation for you. By wearing a medical alarm help button around your neck or on your wrist, and training your 5 year old to push it when mom needs help will do the trick.

I would recommend our own Get Help Now medical alarm system as the best equipment, and more importantly, the best service in the market today.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

Hi -

We’ve just signed up with the service and my one question today is can we have you call me first — My mother is concerned she might hit the button by accident and would prefer not to have set off an alarm. She is also very hard of hearing and I doubt she will hear the call center at all areas of the house. I work very close to where we live and could respond 95% of the time just about as fast as 911 does.

Thank you,
Mary

Reply

Hi Mary,

We at Senior Safety do not feel it is safe to call you first.

In the past, we allowed the client to choose 911 first, or you first. We have learned that lives can be lost in this manner.

First we call your local 911 emergency responders, then we immediately notify you.

The safety of your mother is our prime concern. Fire departments, EMS, police and 911 would rather see a false alarm than a tragedy.

Hope this helps,

Jeff Miller

Jeff,

Can your medical alert button with a pacemaker?

John

Jacksonville, Florida

Hi John,

We transmit at approximately 300 MHZ…although we have not found a pacemaker that has any problem with this frequency. By all means, tell your cardiologist what frequency we send your help signal at so that you will be certain.

I think you should have no problem, but once again, double check with your doctor for safety’s sake.

Jeff Miller

Hi Jeff,

I am interested in a system for my parents. They live in Michigan and I live in Mass.

My Dad has suffered 2 strokes, and doing very well considering he is 85. He lives alone with my mother in handicap safe house. She is 82 and doing more than I think she should. I also am concerned about a scam product. If either one has a fall, the other can not help. This is something I would do as a gift, but will this insult them.

Thank you,

Joan

Hi Joan,

Your thinking is correct about your parents need for a medical alert system. Once they start falling, things can go downhill rapidly. This can give them peace of mind, let alone your own relief.

How could giving a gift of love insult them? Then again, only you know your parents. Just be straight with them, and tell them how concerned you are for their safety.

Don’t surprise them though, we find a gift of a medical alarm to be wonderful…but, when it’s a surprise…parents often times refuse to wear it. Let them know that you worry about them, and that it would make you feel much better.

Good Luck,

Jeff

Jeff:

I am a coordinator of senior services in Grant County MN. 

A number of years ago this program was carried out here and included a 3″-4″ medicine-type bottle with forms to be included in them.  I cannot seem to trace down any of these containers.  Can you tell me if they are available somewhere?

I would like to have decals available for our senior population in Grant County.  Is there a limit to the number that can be ordered?

Thank you for your time.

Janet

Hi Janet,

We suggest using a baggie with a decal placed on the baggie instead of the medicine bottle…we used to do it that way. However, it is most expensive to mail or dispense it the old way, and much more information can be put in the baggie…EKG, pictures, DNR, etc. And, everyone has a baggie (big or small) at home.

Therefore, one needs only to receive two decals and a form. And they can store it electronically on our site for changing the ever changing medications and illness’ and reprint. It is all password protected like an online banking system.

We have no limit on what we will donate in Decals to an organization…we just request that they be used and not gather dust as these cost our charity a lot of money…we even pay the shipping to you…and they are heavy (in bulk).

I’ve cc’d Denise the director of the Vial of Life Project, she will be back in the office tomorrow…but, I wanted to get back to you.

Think about your requirements and how we might help you.

Also, seniorsafety.com the medical alarm company is our biggest contributor, they have just infused us with $100,000.00 more capital to continue our efforts. So, if you can help spread the word to seniors who could use their medical alarm…we would appreciate it. We can send you as many as their brochures as you might like as well. And, they also have the form to fill out within their brochure.

Your doing a noble deed helping your seniors.

Good Luck,

Jeffrey C. Miller

Chairman

Thanks for the note.

I will be ordering decals from your online site - have no dollars this year to pay but hope to make a donation in 2008.  If you can accommodate the ordering process here, please know that I can easily use 300 stickers.  They will not collect dust on my shelves.

As far as our seniors using the website, this is somewhat of a trick!  The most active seniors in our county are not computer literate.  Our local emergency management office has supplied me with a form that can be used for emergency medical information and family information.  Basically, our residents have been instructed to visit with their family and medical care providers regrding their DNR’s ect. 

If you would provide me with brochures for the medical alarm that would be greatly appreciated.  I believe that I would like 30. 

Thank you for your prompt response to my inquiry.

Hi Janet,

Donations are not required…they are always nice.

I will have Robyn send you 300 Decals and 30 brochures…we’ll try to make the mail today…if not, tomorrow for sure.

Thanks,

Jeff

I am looking for a monitor for my mother in Toronto, Canada. Can you put me in touch with a service there?

Janie

Hi Janie,

Sorry, I am not familiar with the companies that deal with Canada.

My suggestion would be to click on the various medical alert companies and see who does.

Possibly Phillips Lifeline Systems covers Canada. Try lifelinesystems.com

Hope this helps,

Jeff