Medical Alert Bracelets have two distinct types. The first is a piece of jewelry that identifies the wearer as having a significant medical problem, or serious allergy. This might warn a would be rescuer that the patient has an artificial heart valve or is allergic to penicillin. The second medical alert bracelet is an electronic bracelet, like a wrist watch with a help button . When the button is pressed, an alarm mechanism is activated and help is summoned.
This article is about the electronic bracelet type. The medical alert bracelet is designed so that the wearer can call for help anytime, if they fall, experience chest discomfort, or need attention. These devices should be waterproof, so the user can take the wrist bracelet into the shower or bath tub. Most of the devices contain batteries which will power the devices for several years, but they should be tested at least monthly. Our batteries last ten years or 50-100,000 pushes.
Our company provides these bracelets, but I typically advise clients to consider wearing a neck pendant instead of the wristband. My logic is simple. Imagine you are wearing the wrist bracelet on your left wrist. You fall, and hurt your right arm, rendering it temporarily numb. Now, try and deploy the button on you wrist band. To simulate this, put your right hand behind your back. If you are like most people, you can't press the button unless you have a real pointy nose! So my choice would be the more reliable one... the neck pendant. People ask me why we even offer to provide the wrist bracelet. Here is my answer. One of our largest customers is the Veterans Administration. Many of our VA clients served in the US Marine Corps in WWII and find it effeminate to wear a neck pendant. So for our beloved leathernecks, if you want it, you got it! Just don't blame me you can't press the button.
I strongly recommend the neck pendant. The chain we provide is hypo-allergenic, so the client can wear the pendant 24/7 without a skin reaction. It should be worn continuously and the pendant is waterproof so it can be worn in the shower or tub. The pendant employs the same ten year battery as our wrist bracelet, but should still be tested monthly. When the button is deployed, the button activates our special super-amplified speaker- phone which calls our monitoring center. Within 45 seconds one of our trained operators will speak with the client over the speaker-phone. If help is required, we dispatch assistance promptly.
Whatever button you chose, be sure to wear it, and test it monthly. More information about our systems can be found at www.pioneeremergency.com or calling (800) 274-8274
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
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
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
Medical Alert + Stroke
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 commonly called aphasia. The patient knows what they are trying to say, but simply can not control what comes out of their mouth. The same pattern seems to be true for dialing 911. They know they want to dial 911, but the end up dialing 119, or 191 and they are unable to contact 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 dispatched instead of an ambulance. Critical time is wasted. If you are concerned about stroke risk, get a medical alarm. For more information see www.pioneeremergency.com
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 commonly called aphasia. The patient knows what they are trying to say, but simply can not control what comes out of their mouth. The same pattern seems to be true for dialing 911. They know they want to dial 911, but the end up dialing 119, or 191 and they are unable to contact 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 dispatched instead of an ambulance. Critical time is wasted. If you are concerned about stroke risk, get a medical alarm. For more information see www.pioneeremergency.com
Free Medical Alarm Service
There are many companies that purport to have free medical alarm services, or very low monthly rates. Yet there is always something to give if you want to get something. These businesses operate no differently, and the services they provide can be less than meets the eye. Before buying, carefully understand what goes into a medical alarm.
No monthly fees: A medical alarm company cannot have a staff of fully trained medical operators around the clock if they cannot pay the operators. Operators do not work for free. for any medical alarm company Instead what these companies sell you is an expensive box that sits in your home. When the button is pressed, they will not call the paramedics but a preprogrammed call list. These call lists are typically 4 friends. If one does not answer, the machine will call the next one. Some have the option of one way communication, where they can hear you, but not the other way. Either way, if there is a real emergency, the paramedics will not be notified until first one of your friends gets the phone call and dials 911 for you. Trusting friends with your life is one thing, but trusting them to be awake around the clock waiting for you to have a medical emergency is another. We offer medical alarm monitoring around the clock, and we are experienced enough to know when to call your friends first and when to call the ambulance. If you are having a stroke, for example, you may be unable to speak. With an automatic box, it will dial your friends, but they will hear nothing and may assume that they were prank called! When we get a non-responsive call, we first will call the house phone to make sure there was no mistake, and if no one answers, we will immediately dispatch the paramedics.
The costs of these systems also make them more expensive than our service. The boxes cost from $200 to $300 depending on features. Our equipment is provided free, but we charge a monthly fee for monitoring of $29.95. So for the cost of the "free box" you get ten months of our top notch service. If you need it for less time than that, you can return it. If you return it in the first month, you owe us nothing!
Very low monthly fees: This is another math trick. Some companies will ask you "why rent when you can buy?" This is highly deceptive marketing; they charge a lot of money up front to 'buy' the system that works only with their proprietary monitoring center. Once they have you locked in, they will charge you a lower monthly free, of course, but you have already paid a lot of money for something that is of no use to you without their monitoring service. They may charge up to half of our monthly fee, of $29.95, but they have already made up their costs by charging you $200 for the box. There is no reason to not 'rent' the box, because without the monitoring service you may as well have a lucky rabbits foot hanging from your neck. They may promise to buy the equipment back. You won't collect a dime if they are out of business.
Thanks for your time reading about medical alarm services. If you are still convinced that a free system is for you, by all means look online and there will be plenty to be found. Proceed with caution and verify their track record. If you are interested in top notch service with a dedicated monitoring center that handles only medical alarms, please call us at 1-800-274-8274. We are here to help, and our service and only start protecting you or a senior you love once you have signed up. If you do not like our service, return the box within a month for full refund.
No monthly fees: A medical alarm company cannot have a staff of fully trained medical operators around the clock if they cannot pay the operators. Operators do not work for free. for any medical alarm company Instead what these companies sell you is an expensive box that sits in your home. When the button is pressed, they will not call the paramedics but a preprogrammed call list. These call lists are typically 4 friends. If one does not answer, the machine will call the next one. Some have the option of one way communication, where they can hear you, but not the other way. Either way, if there is a real emergency, the paramedics will not be notified until first one of your friends gets the phone call and dials 911 for you. Trusting friends with your life is one thing, but trusting them to be awake around the clock waiting for you to have a medical emergency is another. We offer medical alarm monitoring around the clock, and we are experienced enough to know when to call your friends first and when to call the ambulance. If you are having a stroke, for example, you may be unable to speak. With an automatic box, it will dial your friends, but they will hear nothing and may assume that they were prank called! When we get a non-responsive call, we first will call the house phone to make sure there was no mistake, and if no one answers, we will immediately dispatch the paramedics.
The costs of these systems also make them more expensive than our service. The boxes cost from $200 to $300 depending on features. Our equipment is provided free, but we charge a monthly fee for monitoring of $29.95. So for the cost of the "free box" you get ten months of our top notch service. If you need it for less time than that, you can return it. If you return it in the first month, you owe us nothing!
Very low monthly fees: This is another math trick. Some companies will ask you "why rent when you can buy?" This is highly deceptive marketing; they charge a lot of money up front to 'buy' the system that works only with their proprietary monitoring center. Once they have you locked in, they will charge you a lower monthly free, of course, but you have already paid a lot of money for something that is of no use to you without their monitoring service. They may charge up to half of our monthly fee, of $29.95, but they have already made up their costs by charging you $200 for the box. There is no reason to not 'rent' the box, because without the monitoring service you may as well have a lucky rabbits foot hanging from your neck. They may promise to buy the equipment back. You won't collect a dime if they are out of business.
Thanks for your time reading about medical alarm services. If you are still convinced that a free system is for you, by all means look online and there will be plenty to be found. Proceed with caution and verify their track record. If you are interested in top notch service with a dedicated monitoring center that handles only medical alarms, please call us at 1-800-274-8274. We are here to help, and our service and only start protecting you or a senior you love once you have signed up. If you do not like our service, return the box within a month for full refund.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Our Competition
The medical alarm industry is small but rapidly growing . People ask me all the time about competitors. I think like any other business, there are good competitors and less scrupulous competitors. The consumer needs to do their homework. One good place to check for the less scrupulous is www.consumeraffairs.com. (although I don't think they did enough homework on one of their recommended vendors), Some of the best companies in the industry can be found at www.medicalalertmonitoringassociation.com. , MAMA, the industry website. Pioneer Emergency is proud to be a founding member. Quality competitors are concerned with their clients, and furthering the professional growth of the industry. MAMA does not filter unscrupulous companies from joining, and in fact encourages new members. So far, none of the less scrupulous has joined. Perhaps they are too embarrassed to sit with their peers. Anyway, check the reputations, make sure you are not locked into a long term agreement, and whatever system you decide be sure to press the button and test the system at least monthly. For more details on selecting a quality provider you can also get our free report at medical alert guide.
Monday, September 10, 2007
First Blog Entry
Hello Readers,
This will be my first foray into the new exciting world of blogs.
My name is Howard Feldman and I am the owner of Pioneer Emergency. We handle personal medical alarm systems for mostly seniors in need. We have established our business in many states and it would be a pleasure to help you too. The best way to get help from my company is the good old fashioned telephone. Call us during business hours (we are a west coast company) at 1-800-274-8274 and we will answer your questions and help set up a system for you or your family. For those who are more digitally inclined, you can fill in our webform to get a fast response: CONTACT US!
Medical Alarms, as I may have previously listed are our business. Let me go over some of my personal history. My father was a prolific inventor. He held many patents, including the one on the touch tone telephone. My mother was a nurse, and I like to think that it was the combination of their talents that brought me to where I am today. I have been doing residential security since I was an adolesent, but medical alarms was a calling that I could not turn down. Not only is America getting older, but technology is getting better! There are new ways to save lives now that we did not dream of 30 years ago (before that touch tone telephone). I am highly optimistic about the future of the technology that I sell today. The future for telemedicine and senior care is bright. Today I offer a communications device that could not have been built a decade ago, and it is out in the field saving lives daily.
I would like to share one of my favorite testimonials with you:
For a long time I have felt that people, no matter what their age, should have a reliable method of contacting emergency help. This was dramatically proven when my active 95 year old sister-in-law, living alone, 3000 miles away, sustained a fall in her home. She was able to use her "First Alert" by pressing the button that automatically alerted a designated neighbor to call for an ambulance. It was fortunate that she was taken to a hospital quickly, where it was found that she had bleeding and edema in her brain. Without the rapid delivery of care she might not have survived. I would urge people, living alone, to have one of these medical devices to be used in the event of a medical emergency.-- Helen from Berkeley, California
That seems like a good sized inaugural entry. Have a good day and thanks for reading this page!
Oh right, and that ubiquitous link to Look at our free must know tips about medical alarms!
This will be my first foray into the new exciting world of blogs.
My name is Howard Feldman and I am the owner of Pioneer Emergency. We handle personal medical alarm systems for mostly seniors in need. We have established our business in many states and it would be a pleasure to help you too. The best way to get help from my company is the good old fashioned telephone. Call us during business hours (we are a west coast company) at 1-800-274-8274 and we will answer your questions and help set up a system for you or your family. For those who are more digitally inclined, you can fill in our webform to get a fast response: CONTACT US!
Medical Alarms, as I may have previously listed are our business. Let me go over some of my personal history. My father was a prolific inventor. He held many patents, including the one on the touch tone telephone. My mother was a nurse, and I like to think that it was the combination of their talents that brought me to where I am today. I have been doing residential security since I was an adolesent, but medical alarms was a calling that I could not turn down. Not only is America getting older, but technology is getting better! There are new ways to save lives now that we did not dream of 30 years ago (before that touch tone telephone). I am highly optimistic about the future of the technology that I sell today. The future for telemedicine and senior care is bright. Today I offer a communications device that could not have been built a decade ago, and it is out in the field saving lives daily.
I would like to share one of my favorite testimonials with you:
For a long time I have felt that people, no matter what their age, should have a reliable method of contacting emergency help. This was dramatically proven when my active 95 year old sister-in-law, living alone, 3000 miles away, sustained a fall in her home. She was able to use her "First Alert" by pressing the button that automatically alerted a designated neighbor to call for an ambulance. It was fortunate that she was taken to a hospital quickly, where it was found that she had bleeding and edema in her brain. Without the rapid delivery of care she might not have survived. I would urge people, living alone, to have one of these medical devices to be used in the event of a medical emergency.-- Helen from Berkeley, California
That seems like a good sized inaugural entry. Have a good day and thanks for reading this page!
Oh right, and that ubiquitous link to Look at our free must know tips about medical alarms!
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