Make sure you stay connected to help in your home

Imagine a medical alert device you wear everyday. When you need to make an emergency call, it works, and immediately connects you to a highly trained care specialist.

The device you’re imagining is a MedFirst Alert Personal Help Button supported by our Medical Alert Service. If you choose MedFirst Alert , in the event of a fall, you now have 24 hour emergency help available at your fingertips. Is your cell phone able to do that? Cell phones are very convenient, but they can’t give you the 24 hour emergency protection you need.

With a MedFirst Alert personal medical alert button, built for a specific purpose, and unmatched reliability, you can expect  24 hour round the clock emergency help when you need it the most. No worrying about dialing a cell phone or remembering a phone number. The Medfirst Alert System is always with you.  Around your neck, on your wrist or clipped to your belt, the choice is yours.

Here are just a few advantages of the MedFirst Alert system over a cell phone:

• 24 hour monitored medical alert
• Waterproof for use in a slippery shower or tub
• Always accessible in an emergency
• Convenience
• Automatic redialing, just in case
• Large, one button access to help
• No “downtime” for charging like a cell phone has
• Backup battery in case the power goes out in your home
• Prompt connection to a Care Specialist
• Assessment by Care Specialist using your personal medical profile and instructions
• Never out of reach

While cell phones are great for keeping in touch and talking to family, there is just no substitute for a medical alert system in and around the home for seniors and those with disabilities.

Just when you thought no one made house calls anymore you find that there is a system that, in a way, does just that. At a time when you are unable to get help, your medical alert system will bring help to you. But, how do these systems work and what is the catch?

Is there a catch?

There is no catch. The system itself is provided for you at no cost to you (if you are lucky enough to be reading this post).  When you order your system just mention the coupon code: 8093700.  There is a monthly monitoring fee but no annual contract. You can cancel at any time and for any reason. The system even has a self-diagnostic operation that is performed and a new system will be sent to you overnight (again free of charge) if something goes wrong with your existing unit.

Even the installation is easy enough that you should be able to do it on your own. You simply plug the base unit into the wall and then plug the telephone cord into your wall jack. The next thing you need to do is test the device to ensure it is working properly. You do this by pressing the wireless button and waiting for the care specialist to respond to you and conform that the system is in fact working. Voila!

How does it work?

When an emergency happens (intruder, chest pains, fall, etc.) you need to press the button on your wireless transmitter (the button on your pendant or wrist band). Within two seconds of the button being pressed you will be connected with a live operator who will discuss your situation with you and contact the proper point of contact for whatever will come next.

Your operator will have a list of information that is specific to you and includes contact information for physician, neighbors, friends, family, and hospital of choice if necessary so he or she can quickly get in touch with the people who need to be contacted in the event of an emergency. They have also been trained to immediately contact emergency personnel if they are unable to hear you on the other end of the line.

After the conversation with the care specialist, the proper people, according to your preferences, will be contacted so they can arrive to provide assistance. In an actual emergency, minutes can be critical. With the one button ease of your alarm monitor there are no phone numbers to remember or try to dial, you do not have to worry about making it to the phone, and you do not need to worry if you feel you cannot speak. Help will arrive for you and all you have to do is press one button.

Why should you consider home medical alert systems for you or your loved ones? The simple reason is because those minutes matter so much. Hours matter even more and days can be fatal between the moment of the actual emergency and when help arrives. An alert system will have help on the way in a matter of minutes rather than hours or days and that can mean the difference between full recovery and maintaining an independent lifestyle or needing to be admitted to a nursing home or even death.

Currently, most state Medicaid programs do not pay for home medical alert systems.  These medical alert systems are often referred to as Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS). In order to obtain Medicaid funding, a local Medicaid waiver is required in most municipalities. For example, the state of New York requires PERS providers to collect personal data from each subscriber of medical alert systems.  It’s my opinion that unless you are willing to just hand over your personal and confidential information to government employees that you should think twice about having Medicaid pay for your home medical alert system.

This personal data which must be provided to the state is:

• The client’s name, telephone number and address, including an apartment number and floor, where applicable;

• Personal medical history, including age, sex, medical condition, primary diagnosis, and other relevant medical history;

• The name, telephone number, and address of each person whom the PERS recipient has designated as the emergency responders;

• The name, telephone number and address of the person whom the PERS client has designated as his/her representative, if different from the emergency responder;

• The client’s written authorization for the emergency response organization and emergency responder to enter his/her home and provide emergency treatment and transportation; and

• The name, telephone number, and address of the client’s physician and preferred hospital.

If you are willing to give up this personal data to state and local government employees, then maybe you should think about applying for a Medicaid waiver in order to purchase a home medical alert system. For many of us, the amount of personal and confidential information required is simply not worth it. Once this information is in a government database, who will have access to it in the future? How will this information be used? Could it affect your health care costs down the road?

Could there be certain circumstances where the risks of releasing your private information to government employees are justified?  One such reason may be the cost of having a home medical alert system. If $30 to $50 a month for the system is just not financially possible, then it may warrant divulging your private and confidential information in order for you to remain independent and secure in your home.

In conclusion, know that if you choose to apply for a Medicaid waiver to obtain a home medical alert system that you will have to share your private and confidential information with your state or local municipality in order to obtain Medicaid funding.  Decide for yourself whether this is something you are need and are willing to do.

I encourage your comments and responses on whether or not Medicaid should pay for home medical alert systems.

Families today face many tough decisions. Respecting the wish of aging parents to maintain independence and autonomy should not be one of the hard choices for families to make. In fact, when you check out these great ways that medical alert systems can help your family, you might just wonder what you were ever worried about.

1)   Peace of mind. This is perhaps the greatest benefit that medical alert or personal emergency response systems provide families with. These systems enable the elderly to be one touch away from help at any time of the day or night. You will never need to worry about falls, trips, slips, and countless other medical emergencies that might make mobility an issue for your aging parent as long as this service is active.

2)   Instant access to help when needed. One of the biggest fears that the elderly and their loved ones face is help being needed but not available or no one knowing. A decent medical alert system allows for instant access, through the push of a button, to help at any time of the day or night.

3)   Help whenever it is needed. The other benefit is that you aren’t limited to office hours or certain times of the day or even days of the week. Your loved ones are monitored at all hours of the day or night and even on holidays. Since accidents and emergencies rarely happen according to plan or during convenient hours it’s great to know that your loved one will be monitored when you can’t be there to do it.

4)   Maintain independence. Your elderly parent is likely to want to maintain his or her own independence for as long as possible. An alert system allows your parent to remain independent longer than might otherwise be possible. Families often live greater distances away and sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to properly check up on elderly parents, no matter how great intentions may be. The additional lifeline to help that is offered by a personal alert medical system is worth its weight in gold if you are struggling to retain your independence despite your age or the risks that go along with living alone.

5)   Cost effective quality of life. The quality of life enjoyed in your own home can far exceed the quality of life most people experience in a managed care facility. There is nothing that can be compared to independent living. When you compare the costs of living on your own to those of living in a nursing home or other similar facility the differences in price can add up fast. If you aren’t in need of continuous or even moderate health care supervision then living on your own with a medical alert system as a backup plan sounds like an excellent choice.

As you can see there are many great reasons to consider a medical alert system for yourself or aging loved ones. It is well worth the cost in peace of mind and security alone. When you take into account the fact that it may one day save your life or the life of someone you love; this small device becomes priceless.

So, you’ve already established the fact that you or a loved one is in need of a medical alert system for their security, independence or peace of mind. The next step is to compare a medical alert systems provider.

As you probably know by now, there are thousands of medical alert systems providers also called Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS). What you probably didn’t know is that most of the companies selling these medical alert systems are all using much of the same equipment. The medical alert equipment consists of a base unit or console
which houses an ultra sensitive microphone so that if you fall you can be heard by a dispatcher from most anywhere in your home. The second part of a medical alert system is the transmitter. The transmitter is usually worn around the persons neck as a pendant or can be worn as a watch around the arm. Our Pendant and watch style transmitters are water resistant to 60 feet of pressure. While some companies make claims that there’s are waterproof, this is just a play on words for marketing purposes. All medical alert transmitters have electronics inside and are capable of being taken apart thus have a rubber seal to prevent water from entering the transmitter. Ours have been rigorously tested to 60 feet of pressure. So, unless you are taking your transmitter diving in the Atlantic Ocean you will be more than covered.

So, what makes one medical alert systems provider better than another? It truly boils down to the service that is provided and the price you pay for that service.

MedFirst Alert is dedicated to providing the finest service at competitive prices. Our monitoring station is family owned and the management team has an average of over 25 years experience in the monitoring business (this is important because many do not).

A live operator (care specialist) will answer the phone 24 hours a day. We do not use “auto-attendants”. This means when you parent or loved one presses their medical alert transmitter they will be talking with one of our care specialists in under 30 seconds. It’s very important to know you will be speaking with someone on the other end who is knowledgeable and caring as this is sometimes your only lifeline to receiving help quickly.

My recommendation when choosing a medical alert systems provider is to do some research and compare online and then place a call personally to follow up with any additional questions you may have. Give us a call today at 1-800-595-0718. We would love to address any questions or concerns you may have in choosing a medical alert system for yourself, a loved one or someone for whom you are a caregiver.

It’s no secret that the State of Florida has one of the highest percentages of elderly people living in the Sunshine State.  Among the elderly, nearly 813,000 live alone and most are women. By the year 2025 it’s expected that the elderly population will grow by an estimated 19%.

MedFirst Alert medical alert systems cover all counties in Florida with an emphasis in Charlotte,  Citrus, and Sarasota.  Cape Coral, St. Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Clearwater are places where we see a high percentage of seniors living in Florida.

Seniors living in Florida aren’t the only people benefiting from the use of our medical alert systems. People suffering from stroke, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, heart failure, and osteoporosis at also benefit from having a medical alert system that can save a life in the event of an emergency.

Even if you never need to use the medical alert system it’s a smart idea to have access to it.  It’s similar to having an insurance policy because none of us know when we may need it. It’s impossible to predict what life throws in our direction sometimes but being prepared is always better than the alternative.

MedFirst Alert proudly serves our Florida senior citizens and those with disabilities.  We invite you to call our toll  free number at 1-800-595-0718 with any questions you may have about any of our medical alert systems.  For just pennies a day, it truly is a small price to pay for your security or the security of a loved one.

South Carolina has experienced a significant growth of seniors or mature adults over the last
few decades. The baby boom has begun to have a dramatic impact and will continue to affect
the nation and South Carolina’s communities and institutions over the next twenty years. The
state’s population has grown from 286,272 persons aged 60 and over since 1970 to 651,482 in
the year 2,000, a 128% increase in thirty years. The population 60 years and over is projected
to increase to 1,450,487 by the year 2030, a 123% increase from 2000

Seniors in South Carolina have increased 128% over the past 30 years and are expected to increase another 123% by the year 2030.  This means that by the year 2030 we will have around 1,450,487 seniors.  According to the Census Bureau South Carolina’s population in 2007 is:

Statewide Total: 4,407,709
Statewide 65 years and older: 573,098 or 13.0% of population
Statewide 85 years old and older: 72,499 or 1.6% of the population

South Carolina has serious issues that must be addressed as the population ages.  Long term care will be one of those issues. It’s expensive these days for seniors to either go into a nursing home or an assisted living facility and many seniors just can’t afford it.

Several services have become available to seniors such as in home eldercare companies and medical alert systems to allow seniors to stay at home where they would rather be for an extended period of time.  Basic needs such as grocery shopping, household chores, medical prescription reminders and companionship are typically provided by eldercare providers.  Having a medical alert system in the home when a care provider is not available will provide peace of mind and security for both the senior and the care provider.

One of the most difficult conversations you will have with your aging parent is generally centered around their health care. Will they go to an assisted living facility? Will they stay at home with a full time nurse? Will they receive partial in home care?

Children of senior citizens worry about their parents being alone at home and unable to call for help often purchase their parents with a medical alert system only to discover that they don’t want it and refuse to use it. This is a common problem confronted by children concerned about their senior parents. Oftentimes, it takes an emergency medical event like a fall or heart attack before your loved one realizes the benefit of  medical alert systems.

How is it possible for a child to convince their elderly parent that it is in their best interest to have a medical alert system and even more importantly -use it?

In an effort to make this process easier, begin communicating about the future with your parents regardless of their age. Talk about what their thoughts are on assisted living facilities, in home care, medical alert systems.  Let them know that you love them and this is the reason you are bringing  up the conversation.  Experts believe that by laying down this communication groundwork in the early stages, children and parents will benefit in the long run.

Statistics show that 9 out of 10 parents do not want to burden their children and as a result will often respond to this honest communication method.

When placed under duress, the majority of us will resist regardless of how sound a plan or another person’s arguments are. With that said, psychologists believe that by encouraging parents to use a medical alert system they will more than likely be willing to change their routine and wear the alert pendant or wristband if they feel that they have done this on their own accord.

It may take a parent, falling, having a heart attack or being spooked by burglars. While this is not always the case, it can wake up a stubborn parent who is refusing to have a medical alert system. However, in many cases it may also be necessary for other family members to encourage the parents to have a medical alert system.

Be persistent, caring and patient with your parent with these difficult decisions and it will pay off for both of you in the long run.

Please give us a call if you have any questions about how medical alert systems can work for your situation.  1-800-595-0718

Medical Alert System  Setup:

1. Install the medical alert console in a convenient location
which must be near both a telephone jack and an AC power
outlet. Locating the console in the kitchen and bath areas are
not recommended because of water exposure and appliances
which may give off radio interference.

2. Connect the telephone cord (included) to the
telephone jack on the back of the console marked “LINE”.
Connect the other end of the telephone cord to the wall phone
jack. If you already have a telephone or other phone device
connected at this location connect it to the telephone jack on
the back of the medical alert console marked “PHONE”.

3. Plug in the AC ,adapter to the AC outlet. Caution:
Do not use an outlet which may be turned off by a
wall switch. When the AC adapter is plugged in the system
buzzer will sound briefly indicating the medical alert console is operational and ready to use.

The GREEN Power/Reset button should be lighted
and the RED Emergency button dimly lighted. Reset the
console by pressing the Power/Reset button briefly and the
system buzzer will sound briefly. This is SYSTEM RESET.
You may reset the system in this manner to stop an emergency
report if you accidentally activate the unit.

Notify the monitoring station that setup is complete and
you are preparing to test the system.

IMPORTANT: It is very important that you test your medical alert system and system transmitter on a regular basis. It is recommended that you activate the system every day with the transmitter and reset it immediately to verify the transmitter is working. This is especially important if you wear the transmitter in the shower or bath. Do a range test every month. Call the monitoring station and arrange to do a complete test including the central station connection at least once a month and after any electrical storm with local lightning activity.

Call MedFirst alert if at any time the medical alert system does not test satisfactory.

It is recommended that a combination Telephone
Line/AC Power surge protector be installed with
the console in locations with frequent lightning activity.

Testing the Medical Alert Console

Daily Transmitter Test. To verify that the transmitters are
working once each day while near the console activate the
console using the transmitter and immediately reset the system
by pressing the CREE Power/Reset button.

Monthly Range Test: Press and hold the GREEN Power
reset button. When the button is first pressed the console
buzzer will sound briefly and after about.’) seconds the buzzer
will sound a second time. Release the button after the buzzer
sounds the second time. The system is now in the Range Test
mode.

The medical alert console buzzer will sound each time a signal is
received from a Pendent or Wrist style transmitter. Activate
the transmitter from different locations within the living area
making certain that the transmitter activates the system. Check
all transmitters included with the system. If a transmitter
will not activate the medical alert system from a location in the test mode it will not activate the system from that location in
an emergency. When the range tests are complete press the
GREEN Power/Reset button briefly to reset the system.

NOTE: The medical alert system will not call the monitoring
station while in the Test mode. If you forget to reset the
system the system will automatically reset from the test mode
after a few minutes after you stop testing transmitters.
Monthly Central Station Test: First call the monitoring
station and let them know you are conducting a test. Then
activate the system using the transmitter or by pressing the
RED Emergency button. The system will sound a six second
loud buzzer to confirm it is reporting an emergency. The RED
Emergency button will flash as long as the system is reporting.
The system will dial the monitoring station and automatically connect and report the emergency. This process typically takes bet ween 15 and 45 seconds. When the report is complete the system will reset if two way voice is not part of the system.

If two way voice is provided as part of the system
then the system will go to the voice standby mode and give a
short chirp ever 3 seconds until the monitoring station
operator activates voice communications. The RED Emergency
button will continue to flash as long as the monitoring
station is connected.

Pressing the GREEN Power/Reset button will disconnect or the operator may disconnect remotely. Be certain to notify the monitoring station when you are done testing.

If at anytime you need help connecting your medical alert system, please call us toll free at 1-800-595-0718 we are always more than happy to help.  Your safety and independence are important to us and we want to make sure you are happy with our services.

Medical Alert System Features and Options

Standard Fixed Operation for the MedFirst Medical Alert System

No transmitter loaded notification. The MedFirst Alert system checks the alarm system memory for a transmitter key code. If no transmitter is loaded the medical alert system will report this to our central monitoring station.

Programmable Options

Power Failure reporting: When the power has
been OFF for 1 to 2 hours our medical alert system will contact the
central m0nitoring station and report power failure. Once the system
has reported the power failure when the power returns and has
been on for 1 hour the medical alert system will call and report that the
power has been restored.

Automatic check In: Our medical alert system will automatically
call the monitoring station at fixed intervals. This automatically verifies to the central monitoring station that the console and telephone lines are working. The medical alert system can be set to a period from 1 to 7 days, or 2 or 4 weeks.

Console Transmitter Test. When enabled the user
can press the GREEN Power/Reset button and within the next
5 seconds activates the transmitter. The medical alert system will call the
central monitoring station and report a test code to verify operation. It
is a way to completely test the system without sending an emergency report.

Inactivity Reporting: Time intervals can be set to
OFF, 12, 24, 36 or 48 hours. If the medical alert console is not reset,
activated, or does not receive a signal from an activity detector
motion sensor within the programmed period the system will
call and report inactivity. The console buzzer will sound a
warning sound in advance to remind the user to reset the
system.

Voice operating modes: The medical alert system can be
programed to enable or disable 2 way voice. If voice
operation is turned OFF, the medical alert system will automatically reset
when the digital portion of communication with our central monitoring
station is complete.

When voice is enabled most systems are programed
to switch to voice in the standby mode where neither party can
hear the other and waits for the operator to turn on the voice.

Other modes are programmable. Voice can be opened in either
the microphone or speaker mode or in microphone only mode
for silent operation.

Silent Buzzer. The buzzer Can be turned OFF so
there is no buzzer during emergency calls. The RED Emergency
button will flash.

The MedFirst medical system is easy to use and setup takes less than 5 minutes.  All of the features and benefits described above are preset before they arrive to our customers.

Independence and peace of mind is so important to the seniors who use our system and that’s why our medical alert systems are engineered to exacting standards. If you ever have a problem with one of our medical alert systems, we will replace it free of charge.  Your safety and security is our commitment to you.  Order your medical alert system today from MedFirst Alert.