Injuries can occur anywhere and at any time, especially for seniors. The combination of declining balance, fragile bones, and less strength leads to seniors experiencing vastly more injuries than younger people. Due to technological advances, mobile medical alert systems are now smaller than ever, while offering easy-to-use functions to keep seniors safe. In this blog, learn what to look for in a pendant medical alert system with a speaker and where to find one.
Even if you’ve already taken steps to protect your senior loved one, a medical alert pendant adds extra safety features that other approaches might miss. For example, installing grab bars, sturdy railings and bright lighting can reduce fall risks in the house, but fall-proofing the outdoors is impossible. However, a medical alert device will ensure that your senior gets emergency help after a fall, even if they are outdoors.
What to Look for in a Medical Alert Device
Regardless of what activities a senior does or where they go, you want to ensure that they can access help. If a pendant does not fit every circumstance a senior may need it in, preventable injury and harm is possible. Finding the right medical alert pendant for your senior is essential to keeping them safe. Here are several features to look for in a medical alert device.
On-the-Go Functionality
In the world of medical alert pendants, there are two ways that the technology operates. Some pendants must be within a set distance of a hub to work. Alternatively, other pendants don’t require a hub to communicate and can instead operate wherever the wearer goes.
We recommend investing in a pendant that does not require a hub. If a senior travels out of range or leaves the premises, pendants that require a hub might as well be decorative.
However, a pendant with GPS and 4G connectivity protects its wearer regardless of where they go. It can track the wearer if they get lost or call emergency services if they fall in any location. Whether they watch TV in bed, shop in town, or visit their loved ones, a pendant with on-the-go functionality is best.
Water-Resistance
Falls are the most common source of injuries in seniors. However, a shocking 80% of falls in the home occur in the bathroom and are two times more likely to cause injuries versus a fall in the living room. Therefore, the bathroom is the most dangerous place in a senior’s home.
While grab rails and shower seats help to prevent falls in the bathroom, they do not entirely eliminate the risk. Therefore, seniors should wear their medical alert pendant even while showering.
If they wear their pendant around the house but take it off in the shower, they only protect themselves from 20% of household falls. Therefore, purchasing a waterproof medical alert device is essential to keeping your senior safe.
Fall Detection
Fall detection is a critical function of any comprehensive medical pendant, especially for seniors who live alone or have chronic health conditions. In some situations, fall detection measures even save lives.
Fall detection uses sensors in the pendant to monitor the wearer’s movements. If the sensors detect that the wearer has fallen, it can automatically call emergency services. Therefore, if a senior falls and is incapacitated to the point that they cannot press the button on their pendant, they will still get emergency help.
Two-Way Communication
In the event of a fall or injury where the wearer can still access the button on the pendant, two-way communication is very valuable. Two-way communication allows the wearer to talk to the emergency services or family on the other side of the phone. Whether a senior needs medical help or simply wants to talk to someone, two-way communication is a feature to look for when choosing a pendant medical alert system with a speaker.
Buying the Right Medical Alert Pendant
Investing in a medical alert device is a great way to protect your senior while granting them the freedom to move around and go wherever they want. However, finding the right pendant can be difficult, given that there are so many different options available. To help you find the best pendant for your senior, remember to look for these key features:
- On-the-go functionality
- Water-resistance
- Fall detection
- Two-way communication
If you are looking for a pendant medical alert system with a speaker and the other features covered here, consider looking into the WellBe Pendant. The WellBe Pendant checks all the boxes–it is small, discreet, lightweight, and includes cutting-edge technology to keep your seniors safe wherever they go. Click here to shop the collection and learn more about what the WellBe Pendant could do for your senior.