January is our Busiest Month

Just this past week we got a call from a young lady that told us that "After spending time in December with my aging parents, their frailty became almost impossible to ignore. Though they remained cheerful with their living situation, I couldn't help but notice the way they took much longer to perform their day to day tasks. Mom took much longer to work her way around the kitchen and it took Dad longer to go to the bathroom during those commercial breaks during his beloved ball games." We know that for many children with elderly parents just like mine and yours, spending holidays with our parents is enough to make us realize that we need to bring up the discussion of a medical alarm system. For that reason, January is the busiest month for the medical alarm system.

The realization that the parents need the medical alarm system can be a difficult decision to come to, for both our parents and us. As children, it's hard to look at the people who looked after you and cared for you during your weakest moments and realize that they could be in danger during the times you aren't there to look out for them.

For your aging parents, the discussion can bring up concerns about their independence being taken away. For some, any implication that they might need assistance could serve as a warning that they are not quite as self-sufficient as they once might have been. This raises concerns about needing to live in assisted living homes or nursing homes.

But the very things that both we and our elderly parents fear are reasons that medical alarm systems are a good idea to have in one's home. For you, the systems allow peace of mind that comes with knowing that your parent will still be safe, even though you can't be there to constantly check on your parent.
For your aging parent, medical alarm systems allow help to come more quickly in the event of an emergency. This can actually help reduce the amount of long term damage done by a fall or other medical emergency. As a result, the need for long term medical care is diminished and the time spent in assisted living or nursing homes can be eliminated.

So while the conversation about medical alarm systems may be a difficult one to have, it is an essential part of the aging process, both for the elderly and for those of us who love them. Historically, it buys our parents two additional years of living independently. Two years of living in their own home versus a senior facility.
Priceless.