Medical Alert Devices

When someone has a stroke they are in big trouble, and time is of the essence. Quick response, correct diagnosis, and new wonder drugs can dramatically affect the outcome for the patient.
Unfortunately, many stroke victims don't get the help they desperately need. Too many people suffer from the misconception that if they had a stroke they could simply call 911 and get help.
Unfortunately, when a stroke occurs the normal thinking patterns get scrambled just like eggs.
This is why speech gets garbled (aphasia). The brain knows what to say, but the words simply don't come of the mouth correctly. The same pattern seems to be true for dialing 911. Patients y want to dial 911, but the end up dialing 119, or 191 and they are unable to get help. If they are lucky enough to dial 911, and can't speak clearly to explain the problem, they will probably get a police car dispatch instead of an ambulance. Critical time is wasted. When the police arrive, they may have difficulty gaining entry to the house, and may not correctly assess that the patient has had a stroke. They may think the patient is inebriated. Hopefully, they will call the paramedics.

With a medical alert installed, the situation is dramatically improved. First, all the client has to do is press the button. No tricky dialing sequence, labored or futile attempts to communicate, just one press of the button. In 45 seconds medically trained operators are speaking to the client. The operators instantly have the clients complete medical history, allergies etc. on their computer dispatch screens. Critical information is be relayed to the paramedics enroute. Friends and relatives are notified. When the paramedics arrive on scene, they can be given a lockbox code to allow easy entry into the house, without breaking down a door or window. When seconds count, we don't waste time. Time is brain function

Stroke diagnosis is critical. The American Stroke Foundation has a simple 3 part test to identify stroke victims. (1) Smile. Can the patient smile symmetrically or does one side droop. (2) Raise both arms. Can they hold both hands up or is one arm weak. (3) Repeat a sentence. Ask the patient to repeat a simple sentence like "The sky is blue". Can they form the words properly? If the answer to any of these questions is NO call 911 immediately. Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death and disability. Other common symptoms may include :(a) numbness on the face, arms, legs (b) confusion trouble speaking or understanding (c) difficulty seeing from one or both eyes, (d) sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination. (e) sudden severe headache. This is not meant to be medical advice, but if any of these signs are present call 911 immediately, and note the time of the onset of symptoms. The time may be important to hospital physicians.

If the patient has had a stroke, they may be a candidate for a clotbusting drug, which can diminish the effects of the stroke. This drug must be administered within 3 hours of the stroke.
So in other words, the patients needs discovered, transported to a hospital, evaluated, correctly diagnosed and treated in a very short time frame. Some cities have special stroke centers in the hospitals, but this is not universal.

Unfortunately, I've had up close and personal scary experience with strokes. One of my closest friends had a stroke at age 45 . It was very frustrating for him. He couldn't talk intelligibly, and it took him months to regain coherent speech. He also had to relearn simple tasks, like making change from a dollar. Fortunately he was taken to a major stroke center in San Diego. I've also experienced a TIA (transient ischemic attack) or mini-stroke and know first hand the confusion that resulted. Fortunately, I am on medications and have not had a repeat occurance.

My own experiences with TIA and open heart surgery give me the passion to help protect others. Further information about medical alerts can be found at www.pioneeremergency.com