Deciding to get a medical alert system for an aging parent or loved one can be a tough call. While it is crucial to protect seniors and get them the care that they need, it is just as important to give them the best quality of life possible including independence. As seniors age, caregivers need to weigh these factors in the balance. To help make these difficult decisions, here are some tips to keep in mind.
- Each senior adult is different, and it is important to look at them as individuals. Making assumptions based on other people the same age is the wrong way of making decisions.
- As people age, the speed in which they receive medical care after an accident or fall is critical. Statistics show that if a senior receives care within the first hour, there is an 80% chance of a complete recovery. If care arrives after one hour, the odds move rapidly in the other direction.
- Alert bracelets help seniors stay independent longer because they do not need to move out of their own homes as soon. Help can get to them rapidly.
- Carrying an alert pendant or bracelet allows a senior to relax their worries. This act of relaxing or release of stress gives them a better quality of life. Stress can affect seniors dramatically.
- Medic alert bracelets offer peace of mind to senior adults and their children. They alleviate the “what if” scenario. Adult children often worry about parents who live alone. What if something happens? What if they fall? What if they get hurt? Even if these problems have not happened in the past, the stress can be debilitating and cripple work performance, sleep and eating habits. Just having the knowledge that a parent can seek help immediately if something happens can allow an adult child to live their own life worry-free.
- Smaller health issues can develop quickly into larger ones with senior adults. A urinary tract infection, for instance, can cause issues in mental acuity. The knowledge that an objective third party can step in and help right away without any criticism or emotional trauma can prompt a senior adult to get medical help sooner rather than later.
Getting a medical alert device can soothe emotional issues between parents and children just because it is there. With operators ready to act quickly, and having all of the contact information necessary in an emergency, family members young and old can breathe a sigh of relief and get back to living their lives.