The generation that became known as baby boomers vowed during the sixties to never grow old, but that promise has predictably evaporated. Today, this aging demographic group is most concerned about the issues of independent senior living, including the realistic possibility of needing to call for emergency medical attention. Having access to a cellular medical alarm with GPS helps assuage those fears.
Alarmingly, one in three senior citizens falls each year. Although some try to hide this fact from their doctors in an effort to avoid losing personal autonomy, falls are the primary cause of significant injury in older people, often leading to hospitalizations and permanent disability. If an accident occurs when alone, there is a good chance that help might not arrive until it is too late.
The need for a personal system that automatically summons medical personnel prompted the development of the earliest home alert devices. They typically utilized a simple network tied to a remotely operated speaker phone. It could connect directly to a dedicated emergency center via an existing land line. While this was a vast improvement over a regular phone, there were still issues of portability and range.
Subsequent improvements include communications pendants worn around the neck. When activated, they automatically connect to the speaker phone, which calls for help via a land line. These systems are still quite popular, although limited to in-home use. Some also include sensor technology that summons aid when a victim cannot talk. Most have an available monitoring service, while others are simply programmed to call 911.
While these advances have been valuable, there are additional features that were not available until recently. Standard alarms previously worked only at home, but are now able to summon assistance no matter where the user may go. They do this by linking the wearable units directly to the existing cell phone network, and use GPS location capabilities to determine the physical location of the victim.
Today there are valid concerns about digital privacy, but this is one form of tracking that has been warmly welcomed by many families. Any smart-phone today already automatically uses the Global Positioning System to locate users, and most users do not bother to deactivate it. Stationary satellites use the information from cell towers to triangulate the physical location of a user based on the last call.
When a sick or confused older person pushes the help button, it not only displays their personal identification information, but also their current whereabouts. The caller enjoys voice communications with an emergency center, and can usually contact help from any spot that has cell phone coverage. Unlike an actual smart-phone, the units are small enough to be worn, are waterproof, and easy to see.
It is now even possible to relay pertinent medical information directly to first responders, making field treatment safer and more accurate. Even if a senior citizen has no idea where he or she actually is, assistance can still be on the way in a short time. Similar to cell phones, these units need recharging every few days, but that is a small price to pay for greater peace of mind.
Alarmingly, one in three senior citizens falls each year. Although some try to hide this fact from their doctors in an effort to avoid losing personal autonomy, falls are the primary cause of significant injury in older people, often leading to hospitalizations and permanent disability. If an accident occurs when alone, there is a good chance that help might not arrive until it is too late.
The need for a personal system that automatically summons medical personnel prompted the development of the earliest home alert devices. They typically utilized a simple network tied to a remotely operated speaker phone. It could connect directly to a dedicated emergency center via an existing land line. While this was a vast improvement over a regular phone, there were still issues of portability and range.
Subsequent improvements include communications pendants worn around the neck. When activated, they automatically connect to the speaker phone, which calls for help via a land line. These systems are still quite popular, although limited to in-home use. Some also include sensor technology that summons aid when a victim cannot talk. Most have an available monitoring service, while others are simply programmed to call 911.
While these advances have been valuable, there are additional features that were not available until recently. Standard alarms previously worked only at home, but are now able to summon assistance no matter where the user may go. They do this by linking the wearable units directly to the existing cell phone network, and use GPS location capabilities to determine the physical location of the victim.
Today there are valid concerns about digital privacy, but this is one form of tracking that has been warmly welcomed by many families. Any smart-phone today already automatically uses the Global Positioning System to locate users, and most users do not bother to deactivate it. Stationary satellites use the information from cell towers to triangulate the physical location of a user based on the last call.
When a sick or confused older person pushes the help button, it not only displays their personal identification information, but also their current whereabouts. The caller enjoys voice communications with an emergency center, and can usually contact help from any spot that has cell phone coverage. Unlike an actual smart-phone, the units are small enough to be worn, are waterproof, and easy to see.
It is now even possible to relay pertinent medical information directly to first responders, making field treatment safer and more accurate. Even if a senior citizen has no idea where he or she actually is, assistance can still be on the way in a short time. Similar to cell phones, these units need recharging every few days, but that is a small price to pay for greater peace of mind.
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