Who will be monitoring your medical alert system?

Having a quality monitoring center is the key to having a quality medical alert system. Many of the larger medical alert companies will tell you that it’s important to have your own in-house monitoring center while many of the smaller to medium size companies will tell you it’s better to have an outside monitoring center. The truth is, there are pros and cons to both. When making your decision, ask to speak with a care specialist who works for the monitoring center. Are they friendly? Are the professional? Are they knowledgeable? What kind of training have they gone through?

Remember, companies are only as good as the people working for them.

Is the monitoring center UL Listed?

For more than 100 years, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has been writing standards for safety. Make sure you ask if the monitoring center is UL certified. Remember, you are trusting your life or the life of a loved one by the monitoring center’s ability to have emergency medical personnel arrive quickly and with the patient’s medical history.

Did your medical alert company ask you for enough medical history?

When you or your aging senior parent has an emergency at home, it can be traumatic for them waiting for help to arrive. It’s important to know that the monitoring center will have two care specialists handle each emergency call. One care specialist stays on the line with the the person in need and provides reassurance and comfort, while the second care specialist notifies EMS or a family member on the emergency contact list.

How does the monitoring center handle calls?

Some people are under the impression that calls are directly routed to 911 services instead of a monitoring center. While this may be true for some medical alert products, it is not generally the case. Monitoring centers have the unique ability to talk directly with the medical alert caller to ensure that the appropriate people are called for aid. Sometimes 911 dispatch is called and sometimes only a family member or friend are called. This is why it’s important to have a care specialist on the other end of the line who has a complete medical profile of the person using the system.

How much does a medical alert system cost? And what is the cancellation policy?

Choosing a medical alert company is no different than interviewing a home caregiver. Always find out upfront what the monthly costs and fees are. Never sign a long term contract. Most medical alert providers offer a month to month subscription for their services.

Medical alert systems typically cost between $25 and $40 per month. It’s standard for a company to charge one to six months up front for service and then on a month to month basis. Again, the quality of the service is what’s important. Are you comfortable with the people on the other end of the phone?

Installation for most medical alert systems is generally very simple and does not require anyone to come out to the home. If you can plug in a phone line and a power cord, you can install one yourself.

Service and Accountability

Online reviews can give you a false sense of security. Many companies post their own reviews of their own products. Begin with the Better Business Bureau and doing your own online research. You can type in a search for “company name” + complaints. Most all companies will have complaints from time to time but it is how they handle these complaints that determine it a mediocre company or an outstanding company.

What are the customer service and technical support hours of operation?

It’s impossible to know when you or a loved one may need to place an emergency call for assistance; therefore, a monitoring center needs to be available 24/7. No exceptions on this one.

How reliable is the medical alert equipment?

Different medical alert companies are always advertising longer battery life and longer range than their competitors. The truth is that most all of the medical alert units are made by the same manufacturers. The only difference is how they are branded and how they are advertised.

If there is one piece of information I want you to take away with you after reading this article, it’s the fact that all medical alert companies are not created equal. Do your research. Talk with the customer service representatives and make an informed decision. Don’t be fooled by slick talking salespeople. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly at 1-800-595-0718.  One of our care specialist will be happy to help you.

We do offer medical alert products that are 100% compatible with VoIP communication services and devices.  Our product is already working with many customers using Majic Jack, Vonage and several other VoIP carriers.

Our medical alert equipment  uses a standard RJ-11 jack but has specific programming allowing the dialing and transmission digits to cycle 150ms-250ms slower than other units on the market.  This brief timing delay allows the VoIP or SIP carrier to fully cycle the DTMF digits.  We have tested this equipment with Vonage, Magic Jack, NexVortex (SIP) carrier, Charter, Comcast, Verizon FiOS and AT&T uVerse and in all of the cases above the unit has performed as designed with no audio or static interference.

We have a dedicated team for research and development who test new products and technology which enter the market place every year.  It’s important to us that all of our customers have the best and most reliable equipment available.

Please give us a call at 1-800-595-0718 if you have any questions about any of our medical alert systems.

Upon activating the panic button, an alert will be sent to my cell phone when I’m available. When I’m not available, the response center will handle it.

The reason I need this, is that I live with mom and am often in another part of the house and cannot hear her calling to me. And in most of those situations, the need is not critical.

Thanks,

JB

Answer: There currently isn’t a system designed to know when someone is home. However what we can do is either of the following:

Using the InstantCare (PERS + nurse line) device.

Program the nurse line button on the pendant to call his cell phone. When she presses the nurse button it will dial him instead of us. He can answer the call and talk with her just like a standard speaker phone.

If he does not answer or if she needs immediate assistance she can press the RED emergency button. That will call us. We can then call him first, followed by another friend, neighbor, etc. or the usual EMS call.

If he presses either the nurse line button or the emergency button we can still text and/or email him.

Introducing the Medical Alert System that is ready to use out of the box. This type of alert system comes with a console in less than the size of a shoe box which can be placed anywhere around the house. In cases of emergency, you may press the medical alert pendant or the large red alert button on the face of the medical alert system console. This will immediately activate the medical alarm which will directly connect you with one of the company’s care specialists. After which, a live 2-way conversation will start and a family member, a paramedic, or whoever you like will be called. As an additional feature, you will benefit from the water proof feature of both the pendant and the medical alert button.

The moment you have plugged the medical alarm module into a power source and a phone jack, it will immediately become operational. Pressing the alert pendant makes a 2-way conversation between you and the central station; it’s like a big speaker phone. The well-trained specialist will be able to talk and listen to you inside your home after the emergency transmitter button is pressed.

For only $29.95 a month or less than a dollar a day you can give yourself, a parent or an elderly friend the piece of mind and a more secure lifestyle. It will be up to you to decide if what mode of payment suits you best: monthly, quarterly, or annually. For those who wish to pay in quarter or annual basis, the benefit of being discounted is applied.

MedFirst Alert is family-owned and MedFirst Alert truly cares about what they do; that makes MedFirst different among the others. MedFirst is equiped to provide your entire family the protection they truly deserve.

MedFirst Alert has recently become a member of two senior organizations located in the Greenville / Spartanburg area.  SPIN is the Senior Professional Industry Network which provides an interactive environment allowing professionals and their organizations, to network with the Senior Industry Professional community.

MedFirst Alert is also proud to be a member of the Upstate Senior Network,  a coalition of senior service industry professionals dedicated to making a difference in the lives of seniors.

There are several new medical alarm products coming into the market place from China which have bluetooth compatibility to link with your GPS enabled cell phone.  This would require the senior to have a cell phone and to make sure that the bluetooth connection was activated and the phone successfully paired with the device.  On the surface this might sound like a new technological improvement but remembering the KISS principle here is key.  How simple is it going to be for someone to program and maintain the functionality of a product like this?  What happens if the cell phone’s pairing with the bluetooth device becomes interrupted or the bluetooth is turned off accidentally from the phone.  Cutting edge technology is great for some industries but not in where medical alarm systems are concerned.  This is not to say that medical alarm systems have not improved in quality over the years, they have! But as with anything else technology needs time to be tested and seasoned when it comes to a senior to put their life on the line.

A medical alarm system needs to be simple to be effective.  It needs to be easy to install and simple to use. The MedFirst Alert system is just that.  The technology used in our medical alarm systems has saved 1,000′s of lives and it’s simple to use.  You simply plug it into a wall outlet and an available phone jack.  Place the medical alert pendant around your neck or wear the wristband like a watch.  That’s it! Nothing else to remember and nothing to program.  If an emergency situation arises, you simply press the alarm button on your pendant to summon help.  Our Care Specialist at the central station will call 911, your physician, or even family members in the event of an emergency.  By keeping it simple you can help ensure the safety of a loved one or even yourself.

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.

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.

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.