{"id":591,"date":"2014-04-06T22:17:28","date_gmt":"2014-04-06T22:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/satisfyou.com\/jmd_client_sites\/flnav_wp\/?p=591"},"modified":"2020-10-03T01:37:48","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T01:37:48","slug":"if-you-fall-and-cant-get-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/2014\/04\/medical-alert-2\/if-you-fall-and-cant-get-up\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Fall and Can't Get Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Help if You Fall and Can\u2019t Get Up<\/span><\/span>
\nThe Savvy Senior<\/span><\/span>
\nBy Robert Goodman, MSW<\/span><\/span>
\n 
\nJane lay on the bathroom floor eight hours overnight before a relative called to say good morning. Roger was on the floor for an hour before he crawled to the phone in the living room to call for help. Sarah was on the floor for several hours before a neighbor heard her cries for help. Only one of these single people living alone had an emergency medical alert, and she did not have it on her when she fell.<\/span><\/span>
\nThere are services available to help monitor the daily activities of seniors who may have health issues, who live alone, or may be homebound. <\/span><\/span>
\nSunshine Daily Telephone Reassurance is a free telephone reassurance program operated by 211 Palm Beach County to check on the well-being of seniors, the homebound or disabled.<\/span><\/span>
\nSunshine service is provided seven days a week between the 7:30AM-5:00PM. To register for this service just dial 2-1-1 and say that you would like to start receiving Sunshine calls.<\/span><\/span>
\nWe Care has a telephone reassurance and friendly visitor program for those who are homebound. To volunteer or to refer someone call 487.2827.<\/span><\/span>
\nAnother option is to get a personal emergency response service (PERS) or Medical Alert. <\/span><\/span>This service, which works through your telephone line, provides a button or bracelet to wear at all times in your home. If you fall or need emergency assistance for any reason, a push of the button will alert the service. You must have the call button or watch on you at all times when at home. Emergency medical services will be called. There are some fees with medical monitoring services.<\/span><\/span>
\nCarrying a portable phone with you as you move about your house could make it easier to call someone if you need assistance. You might also put a telephone in a place that you can reach from the floor in case you fall and need help.<\/span><\/span>
\nThere are several types of medical alert systems. <\/span><\/span>
\n1.<\/span><\/span>Self dialing, non-monitored systems<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n2. Basic home systems, with or without 2-way voice<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n3. Cell systems for homes with no telephone line<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n4. Mobile systems<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nMany of these services provide devices in the home that connect older adults to a 24-hour call center with the push of a button. The transmitter is typically worn on a neck pendant or wristband, and it sends a signal to a receiver that’s connected to the home telephone line. When the button is pushed, the staff at the call center evaluates the situation, deciding whether to call an ambulance or a designated friend or family member. With most PERS setups, your loved one can talk with the call center staff from anywhere in the house. <\/span><\/span>1<\/span><\/span><\/sup>
\nThere are many of these services available. If you’re looking for a personal emergency response system, AARP and other professionals suggest keeping this checklist in mind:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Look at several systems before making a decision.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Compare costs. Charges for equipment and services typically include a setup fee ranging from $50 to $200 and a monthly fee ranging from $30 to $60. Most companies lease their equipment; a few require purchase. Private insurance or Medicare generally does not cover the devices.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Read through the contract carefully and understand the cancellation process.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Make sure the provider offers 24\/7 customer care (preferably a call center) and technical support. (Ed. Note: Ask if they make daily contact with the customer.)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Ask how often and by what procedures they test their system.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Ask if a 30-day free or money back trial period is available<\/span><\/span>2<\/span><\/span><\/sup>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  7. It is helpful if the company has local support personnel. Otherwise equipment must be shipped back, if there is a problem.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Ask if any special discount offers are available.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Make sure the company has been in business for a number of years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Ask if the system includes a key holder and lock box. Fire\/Rescue explains that these are essential parts of such services.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Help if You Fall and Can\u2019t Get Up The Savvy Senior By Robert Goodman, MSW   Jane lay on the bathroom floor eight hours overnight before a relative called to say good morning. Roger was on the floor for an hour before he crawled to the phone in the living room to call for help. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[44,138],"class_list":["post-591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-medical-alert-2","tag-accident","tag-medical-alert"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1944,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions\/1944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}