Life Alert

[lynne b]

I am sure everyone has seen the commercial on TV but has anyone here ever used it for thenselves or a family member? I just talked to a guy on the phone about it and it sounds like a pretty good thing. As some of you know I have been worried about my mom's health and her living alone and so far away from me ,though we will be moveing her closer to family (my daughter) and closer to me than she was. It cost $298.00 for the monitor which is a one time fee includes lifetime batteries a cell phone connected to them, she can take the monitor with her if she is staying out of town all she has to do is call them with the address where she will be staying and phone# , a smoke detector that is monitored by them ,they will call her personally if the detector sends them a signal, also detects if there is an intruder in the house. oh my there's more also besides the health things that they cover. for everything it will cost $59.99 a month plus the one time $300.00 monitor charge and can be passed down to another family member if needed. does anyone have any experience with this company if so i would love to hear about them.
thank you lynne

[Janet]

Sorry Lynne, this thread kind of got lost. I don't know anything about them or know anyone that has one. Maybe you can get references from the company to check with.

[DianaB]

Sorry, but I don't know anything about the company.

[Passionfruition]

Me neither but it seems like such a great thing for some people!

My husband wears a pedometer to keep up with his exercise plan for work lately (it's a work competition) ...and people ask him if he has life alert. LOL.

[judy]

It's a pretty good deal financially. Is it returnable if you're not satisfied?
Maybe you can email AARP and see if they have any info.

[AngieDoogles]

Sorry, Lynne. I don't know anything about it. Good luck!

[lynne b]

Thank You for all of your response's. It's not something I am going to jump into right now but will keep on the back burner for later maybe. It's one of those deals that you call for information on it and they just keep calling you back trying to get you to buy now (dont wait till it's too late). I may just have to get nasty with them and tell them I will call them when or if I decide to buy it. I do think it sounds like a great thing but not sure if we are ready for it right now.
Thank you again, Lynne

[Tink]

When I did home health care the man I took care of had this. He never needed to use it, as shortly after he got it his condition worsened and they hired me to take care of him. He was the sort who I don't believe would have pushed the button if he was in distress, so I'm not sure it would have been much help there. I do think for someone who wants to live independently but is nervouse about being able to get help if needed, it's a good option.

[AngieDoogles]

When I did home health care the man I took care of had this. He never needed to use it, as shortly after he got it his condition worsened and they hired me to take care of him. He was the sort who I don't believe would have pushed the button if he was in distress, so I'm not sure it would have been much help there. I do think for someone who wants to live independently but is nervouse about being able to get help if needed, it's a good option.

Wow Tink, I didn't know you used to do home health! My company has a home health division and the nurses are all SO nice. :) They do such a great job and our customers really love them. That was a wonderful thing for you to have done.

[Tink]

Angie, I've had more variety in jobs than I almost dare to admit. That's what happens when you're my age and have a restless spirit I guess. That's where my screen name "Tink" came from... I TINKER in many things, master none.

The home health care lasted less than 2 yrs and was something I just fell into. I got a call from a friend asking if I'd be interested in the job because she had been asked in church whether she knew anyone who might be willing to hire out. She and I had taken EMT training together, and had worked as CNAs together, and she knew I wasn't working at the time.

It was truly one of the most pleasant experiences I've had. I really fell in love with the gentleman I took care of and his family. As his condition worsened, I was put in charge of hiring, scheduling, and supervising others to provide round the clock care for him. He was a wonderful man who really appreciated being able to stay in his own home in spite of his medical problems.

What's cool is that my oldest dd, who is a nurse, also does home care. She takes care of an 11 yr old who is on a ventilator and other high tech things. She too loves her work. It really is something where you get as much as you give.

[AngieDoogles]

That's wonderful Tink. I'm glad you were able to get so much out of the experience and that your daughter is able to do it as well. I bet that gives the two of you a whole new understanding of each other, not to mention a lot more to talk about.

I think it's good to have a lot of different experiences...it often makes for a more rounded person who can be empathetic to many different types of people.

It's cute how you came up with your sn. :) Very clever. I like it.

[Mandy]

I have never heard of it, but sounds interesting. :)

[judy]

You might get in touch with AARP (American Association of Retired Professionals).

There is a huge ad on the back page of the June, 2007 AARP bulletin for Life Alert.
Their web address is www.aarp.org

By the way, get ready girls - they send you AARP materials on your 50th birthday.
They should wait a couple of months until you settle into being 50!

[Tink]

By the way, get ready girls - they send you AARP materials on your 50th birthday. They should wait a couple of months until you settle into being 50!

ROFl Judy

[AngieDoogles]

LoL Judy. How funny. :) Now I know what to look forward to for the big 5-0...my AARP info. lol.

[mstplumeria]

My father-in-law has Life Alert. (He is diabetic, blind, and one leg was amputated several years ago.) He has had this for several years, and is happy with it. My mother in law is a nurse and works 3rd shift, so he is home alone at night. While we live very close to him, and he calls a lot overnight for my hubby to come help him, but he has used the Life Alert. He was going into a diabetic coma and could not use the phone, so he pushed the button on his LifeAlert. It probably saved his life! My husband is a 911 Dispatcher, so he is familiar with both sides of the service for this. When the customer pushes the button for the Life Alert, a representative asks if they need help through the monitor. If the customer says yes I need help or they get no response, LifeAlert calls the people on their help list who have a key and can go check on them/help them. If it is serious, Life Alert also calls the local dispatch center and alerts them to what is going on. Our local Dispatch center then sends a police officer and sends an ambulance. We have had the Life Alert call and tell us that he fell out of bed and couldn't reach the phone to call us. So basically, it is a "middle man" to get the help the customer may need. In order for the service to work, the customer must be wearing the Life Alert necklace/watch 24/7.

My husband once took a call while at work from Life Alert that their customer had pushed the button for help, but there was no response. Life Alert had already contacted a key holder, but my hubby sent the police and ambulance also. The police officer got to the house first, and could see the man laying on the floor unconscious through the window. They busted the door in and had him in the ambulance on the way to the hospital before the keyholder even got there! Long story short, make sure that whoever you use as an emergency contact/keyholder is close, and able to respond quickly!!

Sorry this is so long, but I hope the info is helpful......

Missy

[DianaB]

We used to have a landlady that had something like a Life Alert. We had a key to her house so we were called as soon as there was a problem. She would be cleaning and bump the button and then she would have the TV up really loud and couldn't hear the phone ring when they checked on her so we'd have to run over and make sure that she was alright. We had to do that several times but we never had an emergency from it.