Senior Alert Systems For Independent Living

For many seniors, the prospect of living alone after a spouse passes away can be quite unsettling. It is a time of immense loneliness as well as putting the senior into a state of uncertainty. What if he should suffer a medical emergency or slips and falls and can’t get to a phone? Such fear is often enough to cause many of the elderly to reluctantly agree to move into an assisted living arrangement, but it doesn’t necessarily need to come down to such a stark choice. Advancements in elderly alert systems now make it possible for many seniors to live self-sufficiently in the comfort of familiar surroundings.

Fear of having a medical emergency and being unable to reach the phone in order to call for help is probably the greatest fear that both seniors as well as their families have. The scenario of an elderly person falling and not being able to get up to call for help has become fodder for late night comedians, but to the elderly, living alone is no laughing matter. The prospect of being stranded on the floor for many agonizing hours, or in some cases even days, is a very real and justified fear. In some of these same cases, seniors have suffered even greater injury or even death from exposure and dehydration as a result of being left alone on the floor than from the fall itself.

As mentioned previously, there are many factors that need to be considered when seniors wish to continue living unassisted in their own homes. A recent deterioration in a senior’s health or an acute medical condition will prompt an evaluation of their fitness to continue living alone. At this stage, a health assessment should be performed and reviewed with the senior, his family, and his physician. Factors such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease should be carefully weighed in the decision to live unassisted. Even though a senior is otherwise physically healthy, an impaired cognitive state may require him to move into an assisted living arrangement for their own safety.

If it’s decided that a senior is a good candidate for having a senior alert system installed in their home, then there are many systems to choose from. The basic operation of such a system is pretty simple. The main components consist of a wireless speaker box which attaches directly to a phone jack or off an extension jack on a telephone. Some more expensive units have a built in phone as part of the speaker box. These built in phones are often customized with large, lighted keypads to make dialing much easier for seniors. Other systems also have a mobile phone option often at an additional cost. The other component of the alert system is a wireless pendant that is worn around the neck. It has a large button that the user can easily press in case of an emergency. When pressed, a wireless signal is transmitted to the speaker box which will dial a stored phone number – either directly to a call center or to a family member or neighbor.

There are many elderly alert systems to choose from on the market today and seniors and their loved ones should research the top ones before deciding which is best for their living situation. Being able to live independently for as long as possible is a priceless advantage that can be obtained for a very modest financial investment.