Every year, more than 36 million older adults report having a severe fall, and 3 million seniors seek emergency room treatment because of a tumble. Among those falls, more than 32,000 of them are fatal.
Given how serious a problem falls are among seniors, any way you can lessen the chance of them occurring is worthwhile. Thankfully, there is a wide range of senior care technology options that can help keep loved ones safe and get them the medical help they need.
Among the suite of medical alert devices for seniors are medical alert necklaces. Medical alert necklaces have distinct benefits and drawbacks, so read on to learn more about their pros and cons.
Pros of Medical Alert Necklaces
Emergency Contact Features
The purpose of a medical alert pendant is to provide seniors with the emergency help they need whenever they need it. With that in mind, every modern-day alert necklace will have some level of emergency contact features.
However, the type of emergency contact feature that a pendant provides depends on the device. Some pendants include more modern technological advances, while others still use older technology. As a rule of thumb, always choose the pendant with the newest and best technology.
Voice Communication
Many pendants include voice communication features as part of their medical alert capabilities. In other words, the pendant can send and receive voice correspondence with emergency dispatchers. Talking with a dispatcher is an invaluable feature because it allows users to communicate more detail about their location and situation.
While some pendants with outdated technology do not include voice communication, the feature should be on everyone’s must-have list. Better communication with emergency help could be the difference maker in a severe fall.
Fall Detection
Sometimes, seniors can fall and become so incapacitated that they cannot press their help button or talk with a dispatcher. In that event, fall detection can still get seniors the medical help they need.
Often using accelerometers to measure force from a tumble, medical alert necklaces for falls are equipped with fall detection that will prompt the user if it suspects a collapse occurred. If everything is fine, the user can deactivate the necklace. However, if the user falls and is incapacitated, the pendant will contact emergency help.
Cons of Medical Alert Necklaces
Limited Functional Area
In the world of medical alert pendants, there are generally two types: those that require a hub to operate and those that work independently. Medical alert hubs are stations around the house connecting the pendant to a dispatcher. Without the hub, the pendant becomes little more than a piece of jewelry.
On the other hand, some pendants use cellular connectivity to link users to dispatchers in any area with cell service. If possible, always choose pendants with cell service to maximize their usefulness.
Dated Appearance
Unfortunately, many medical alert necklaces look like cheap hunks of dated plastic dangling around people’s necks. Unsurprisingly, seniors may resist wearing their device if they hate its appearance; nobody wants their medical alert device to flash in everybody’s faces.
However, only some medical alert pendants have a dated, in-your-face, and clunky design. Thanks to recent technological advances, pendants can come in smaller forms and more attractive designs than ever.
Investing in the Right Medical Alert Necklace
Medical alert pendants can be a lifesaver in a severe fall. With the right features, they can be the difference between seniors getting or not getting the emergency medical help they need.
However, the problem of finding the right medical alert necklace remains. After all, trying to find a pendant with state-of-the-art emergency contact technology in a modern form factor for an affordable price seems like a tall order. Thankfully, with the WellBe® Medical Alert Pendant, HandsFree Health has the technology you need to keep seniors safe. It packs industry-leading features, including:
- 4G Connectivity
- GPS
- Fall Detection
- Water-Resistance
- 2-Way Communication
- Sleek and Lightweight Design
If you are looking for the best technology to keep seniors safe, click here to learn more about the WellBe Medical Alert Pendant and its ecosystem of devices.