GPS and other new fangled Phones for Seniors

I am regularly, being asked to review new products and technologies to help clients safe in their homes. Vendors, visit me. I travel the world looking.I also attend trade association meetings including the American Telemedicine Association, and I'm on the Board of the Medical Alert Monitoring Association. New technology fascinates me. Some have great promise. Others duds.

As I write this blog, I am reminded of a letter we received this week with a returned medical alarm unit. The letter explained that our medical alarm had been delivered to the Senior, one an hour too late. Unfortunately, The client fell, required hospitalization, and ended up in a skilled nursing facility. The client is not expected to return home, and therefore the family member was returning the unit.. The point I'm trying to make is, if your loved one needs our services, (or any other senior safety product) don't procrastinate. Order today. A year too soon, is better than a minute too late.

One of the best products I've reviewed recently include the Jitterbug (www.jitterbug.com) cell phone for seniors. This is a cellular phone specifically designed for seniors. Big buttons, easy to see and push. Continuous dial tone, so it acts like a regular phone, and a comfortable loud speaker system. I think this is a winner, and bought this service for my mother.I am pleased to recommend it to clients. This is not a substitute for a medical alert system. I looked another cell phone with GPS tracking built in. The manufacturer boasted it helped track down, and save a lost dementia patient. I would argue the dementia patient never should have been allowed to wander the neighborhood. They could have been hit by a car. Powerful technology, but buttons way too small and complicated for seniors. When I tested the unit, it sent out the wrong address.Another limitation was an 18 hour battery life. I saw another product, that claims to be a medical alarm that will dial 911, without a monthly fee. One of our long term clients bought it this week for her husband, because it saved the monthly fee. I think this product, has some serious drawbacks when compared with a professionally monitored system. For example, the manufacturer claims the product is splash resistant. With a high probability of senior falls in the tub or shower, I don't want splash resistant. I want waterproof. If the device can't be worn in the shower or tub forget about it. Free monitoring sounds like it could turn into a costly mistake. Dialing 911 is great... if you are able to communicate. My experience suggest, the clients in trouble, may be unable to speak for themselves. Without communication 911 will dispatch police to investigate. In a medical emergency this is a waste of precious time. When the senior falls, we need to get them help immediately. The first hour is called the Golden Hour. Help received in the Golden Hour is the difference between continued independent living, and a nursing home or death. Our operators can relay all the critical client information, medical, personal, and lockbox codes to allow paramedics immediate access to the clients home. Not a bad deal for a buck a day. Last this product was the size of a cell phone. Not exactly the product grandma wants hanging around her neck.

New Technologies for Senior Safety

I am constantly searching for new technologies and approaches to keep our clients safe in their homes. I have scoured the planet, visiting Israel, Europe, and investigating products from Taiwan, China, and our neighbor to the North Canada. Some of these new products have great promise. Others look like fancy technology in search of an audience. All of the products can enhance safety, some greatly, others minimally. As I write this blog, I am reminded of a medical alarm unit we had returned this week. It arrived via FEDEX to a client. But it was an hour too late. The client fell, required hospitalization, and ended up in a skilled nursing facility. Sometimes, our units are returned , never opened, because the clients have expired before FEDEX arrives. The point I'm trying to make is, if your loved one needs our services, ORDER THEM IMMEDIATELY. A year too soon, is better than a minute too late. Some of the products I've reviewed recently include the Jitterbug (www.jitterbug.com) cell phone for seniors. This is a cellular phone specifically designed for seniors. Big buttons, easy to see and push. Continuous dial tone, so it acts like a regular phone, and a comfortable loud speaker system. I think this is a winner, and bought this service for my mother, and am pleased to recommend it to clients.