Help! I've fallen and I can't get up for elderly relatives recommendations...

[Anonymous]

Hello. I need some help. Have an out of state relative that is starting to fall and need some advice on the medical alert systems. He lives completely alone and I am worried. Just started the research but wanted to hear from unbiased people about how the system that you or your relatives works and if it works well. I am concerned about getting him a necklace that is too sensitive and that might produce numerous fall false alarms and then he won't wear it. Thank you for any recommendations and advice that you have. Oh and he will not wear the apple watch which is what I wanted to get him....

[Anonymous]

I haven't checked this out yet but someone today said their parent uses a smart phone app.

5star
Mandown

are the two recommended.

[Anonymous]

Apple Watch. An amazon echo to call

[Anonymous]

They are a nightmare. Once you order it, the company hassles you until you activate. Then they call your call list for other random reasons so I kept thinking it was an emergency. I honestly found the whole age in place business a nightmare for those of us in town who had to be the support. Better to be in assisted living. I still have nightmares between the falls, all the emergencies, and everything. I think well should move to continued care communities by 70 start with independent and be able to stay through nursing or memory care. We need more of these places. The end. Rant over.

[Anonymous]

Haven’t explored this yet, but I was very impressed by the Apple Watch 911 activation for that guy who fell off that cliff. Saved his life.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/10/24/new-jersey-hiker-saved-by-watch/amp/

[Anonymous]

You cannot solely rely on technology to care for an elderly person who lives alone. Especially one you already knows has a history of falling.

The commercials make it seem like a perfect solution, but be realistic. Even if he fell and DIDN'T hurt himself, do you really think emergency responders want to be sent to his house to pick him up off the floor?

Get real. This person needs to have someone stop by his house every day to check on him. No matter what his financial situation is like, there is likely an organization that can help.

Suggest you contact senior services for his location and get advice on what they can offer. Meals on Wheels, for instance. They will come once per day with a hot meal, and a check-in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You cannot solely rely on technology to care for an elderly person who lives alone. Especially one you already knows has a history of falling.

The commercials make it seem like a perfect solution, but be realistic. Even if he fell and DIDN'T hurt himself, do you really think emergency responders want to be sent to his house to pick him up off the floor?

Get real. This person needs to have someone stop by his house every day to check on him. No matter what his financial situation is like, there is likely an organization that can help.

Suggest you contact senior services for his location and get advice on what they can offer. Meals on Wheels, for instance. They will come once per day with a hot meal, and a check-in.

I think this person needs to be in some type of retirement facility. The idea of them falling and having to wait for Meals on wheels to come and help them back up is gut wrenching. What if Meals on Wheels gets to the house, knocks and no one answers? Do they break into the house to make sure the person is o.k.? I don't think that they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You cannot solely rely on technology to care for an elderly person who lives alone. Especially one you already knows has a history of falling.

The commercials make it seem like a perfect solution, but be realistic. Even if he fell and DIDN'T hurt himself, do you really think emergency responders want to be sent to his house to pick him up off the floor?

Get real. This person needs to have someone stop by his house every day to check on him. No matter what his financial situation is like, there is likely an organization that can help.

Suggest you contact senior services for his location and get advice on what they can offer. Meals on Wheels, for instance. They will come once per day with a hot meal, and a check-in.

I think this person needs to be in some type of retirement facility. The idea of them falling and having to wait for Meals on wheels to come and help them back up is gut wrenching. What if Meals on Wheels gets to the house, knocks and no one answers? Do they break into the house to make sure the person is o.k.? I don't think that they do.

I merely suggested MOW as one POSSIBLE solution. The OP did not describe in detail this person's overall condition. If they are otherwise capable, and are fully functioning, but have an occasional episode where they fall - that's one thing. But yes, if they are falling on a daily or regular basis then they need to be in a facility with 24 hour care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You cannot solely rely on technology to care for an elderly person who lives alone. Especially one you already knows has a history of falling.

The commercials make it seem like a perfect solution, but be realistic. Even if he fell and DIDN'T hurt himself, do you really think emergency responders want to be sent to his house to pick him up off the floor?

Get real. This person needs to have someone stop by his house every day to check on him. No matter what his financial situation is like, there is likely an organization that can help.

Suggest you contact senior services for his location and get advice on what they can offer. Meals on Wheels, for instance. They will come once per day with a hot meal, and a check-in.

I think this person needs to be in some type of retirement facility. The idea of them falling and having to wait for Meals on wheels to come and help them back up is gut wrenching. What if Meals on Wheels gets to the house, knocks and no one answers? Do they break into the house to make sure the person is o.k.? I don't think that they do.

I merely suggested MOW as one POSSIBLE solution. The OP did not describe in detail this person's overall condition. If they are otherwise capable, and are fully functioning, but have an occasional episode where they fall - that's one thing. But yes, if they are falling on a daily or regular basis then they need to be in a facility with 24 hour care.

I agree with you. They go to assisted living for problems that ARE actually happening. Otherwise, we should just all hang it up and go to assisted living because anyone of us could potentially suffer a bad fall and not be able to get back.

Does your relative fall often? And when they do fall do they have a difficult time getting back up?

[Anonymous]

Maybe Ring?

[Anonymous]

My mom has Parkinson's and she got the Apple Watch. It has the fall/call 911 function. It also gives her the ability to call someone easily if she's stuck or hurt. She's been happy w it.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thank you all for giving me things to consider. He is very independent with rare falls. He refuses to go into assisted living or anything of the sort. Doesn’t want to stop wearing his own watch and does not have an iPhone and not interested in getting one. From my understanding, you need an iPhone to be paired with the watch for it to make those emergency calls. Am I wrong on this? And if it does work do you have to pay monthly fees for the watch to function as a phone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thank you all for giving me things to consider. He is very independent with rare falls. He refuses to go into assisted living or anything of the sort. Doesn’t want to stop wearing his own watch and does not have an iPhone and not interested in getting one. From my understanding, you need an iPhone to be paired with the watch for it to make those emergency calls. Am I wrong on this? And if it does work do you have to pay monthly fees for the watch to function as a phone?


While you may find a piece of technology that you think fits the bill, you still haven't solved the fundamental problem: Who will come and pick him up if he falls? You cannot expect that 911 will dispatch people to come and help him up off the floor especially if he is not seriously injured.

You need to come up with a better plan for this relative. Whether he likes it or not, he cannot continue without some sort of plan in place for support when he needs it. At the very least, get him to join a local senior support group. He will meet others, get some social activities, and will learn that everyone needs help as they age.

[Anonymous]

I use Medical Guardian for my husband who is mentally coherent but has motor neuron issues and falls from time to time.

He wears (or should wear) a pendant device. If he falls he can press the button. Someone comes on the speaker device and asks "Are you OK" and will speak with him to get him the assistance he needs. They have all his information on file including my cell phone number.

If they don't hear anything from him they will call 911 and also call my cell phone to try to alert me. It is possible I could be in the basement doing laundry or something, and not hear him fall upstairs for one thing!

They gave us a lockbox for our front door. If they call 911 they can tell the first responders the code to get our key so they don't have to break down the door.

They were great in helping us set up the system, and in testing once a month we have never had a problem.

There is a monthly fee.

We also have a pendant that is supposed to respond to sudden falls, but we have never had that happen and don't know if it will work.

Biggest pain is that my husband doesn't like wearing the pendant. If I am going out for long periods of time I make him wear it. My biggest fear isn't him falling and just having to lie on the floor for hours, it is him not being able to get out of the house in the event of fire, or a burglar or something. He is very helpless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thank you all for giving me things to consider. He is very independent with rare falls. He refuses to go into assisted living or anything of the sort. Doesn’t want to stop wearing his own watch and does not have an iPhone and not interested in getting one. From my understanding, you need an iPhone to be paired with the watch for it to make those emergency calls. Am I wrong on this? And if it does work do you have to pay monthly fees for the watch to function as a phone?

Op, call the SHIP office for his state. This is Medicare run. Find out how to get age proofing for his home. You may actually need medical power of attorney to set up anything. Let him know falls are the #1 reason people end up in nursing homes. You are trying to help him aging in place.

Secondly research phone products for kids, eg:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07814RPSG?creativeASIN=B07814RPSG&imprToken=CyjiVsU737WjA9hz-IWG9Q&slotNum=4&tag=fatherly-kidssmartphones-20%20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

My mil had an emergency dongle that went around her neck. That was a product meant for seniors.