Why a Medical Alert System is Essential for Your Senior
As people age, their risk of an injury or health problem rises dramatically. For example, declining balance is a common side-effect of aging and results in falls for over 25% of seniors every year. Therefore, seniors need a way to guarantee access to medical assistance in the event of an injury or other health problem. Fortunately, technological advances have made medical alert systems and devices more accessible and useful than ever.
However, not all medical alert devices are the same. Read on to learn why you should consider a comprehensive alert system instead of a standalone device to protect your senior loved ones.
The Traditional Model of Medical Alert Devices
Early medical alert device technology in the 1970s consisted of a single device with only one function. These often looked like a wearable button that, when pressed, sent a pre-recorded message to the emergency services on the other end of the line.
As technology progressed, wearable button products soon allowed seniors to talk to the emergency services to provide more information on their situation and whereabouts. While lines like “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up” became the punchline for comedians, they also popularized medical alert devices for seniors.
The best modern alert bracelets are nearly unrecognizable if put next to a model from the 70s or 80s and offer many additional functionalities, including:
- 4G connectivity
- GPS
- Two-way push to talk
- Fall detection
- Water-resistance
While such technological advances save lives every year, there is still a considerable downside to many current wearable alert devices for seniors. Even though they may utilize recent technological advances, many of the most popular devices have yet to create a truly comprehensive system.
The Latest Mobile Medical Alert Systems
What separates a medical alert device from a medical alert system?
Wearable alert devices traditionally only serve one purpose and do not interface or communicate with other products. For example, a traditional medical alert pendant enables the wearer to call for help in the event of a fall or other medical emergency. While that functionality protects the wearer much better than someone who does not have such a pendant, it could and should do more.
A medical alert pendant that is part of a larger system interfaces with other safety devices to create a web of protection around the wearer. For example, if the wearer uses the pendant to call for help, the other devices in their system will know that a medical emergency has occurred. These linked devices can then contact family members through an app which links the senior to their loved ones.
Effectively, a mobile medical alert system offers more functionality and more contact points to protect the user better. Each safety device a senior owns works together as a comprehensive medical alert service to provide broad protection.
Finding the Best Medical Alert Service for Your Senior
The best alert systems do more than connect seniors to medical assistance in the event of a fall or medical emergency. For example, the WellBe Medical Alert System provides industry-leading functionalities to provide unparalleled protection for your senior.
The entire HandsFree Health product line seamlessly integrates to create the most advanced system of protection. Between the WellBe Speaker, Smart Watch, Pendant, and Mobile App, your senior will be more protected than ever.
For example, the WellBe Medical Alert PLUS Smart Speaker packs a host of functionalities into a small, modern form factor. The WellBe Speaker:
- Has voice recognition software that identifies the user and personalizes the response.
- Provides emergency alerts that use voice recognition software to connect seniors with a monitoring center that can then forward their call.
- Sets reminders for medication and tracks the prescribing doctor, prescription number, refills, and how many pills are left.
- Is HIPAA-compliant, ensuring privacy and security.
The Medical Alert PLUS Smartwatch provides on-the-go access to medical assistance and includes functionalities like:
- An SOS button that, when held down, will connect the wearer to an emergency call center that dispatches first responders to the watch’s GPS-based location.
- A heart rate monitor and pedometer that tracks how the wearer responds to exercise, stress, and other daily activities.
- A virtual health assistant that can get answers to health questions, receive medication reminders, and find the nearest urgent care location.
- Shower-safe waterproof housing.
Every WellBe device communicates with each other and syncs with the WellBe HandsFree + App to provide a seamless, easy-to-use protection system for your seniors. The days of standalone medical alert pendants are over, and the age of comprehensive medical alert systems is here.
Get peace of mind and protect your senior loved one with a WellBe system. Buy yours today.