Medical Alert Systems for Health Conditions like Dementia, Diabetes etc

Living with a medical condition that requires additional care can be quite limiting particularly for elderly citizens. This is because they already have their mobility and activity reduced and several disease conditions associated with old age only serve to further restrict their mobility and freedom.

It is also a fact that some of these disease conditions (for example, impaired hearing and epilepsy) may also affect the effectiveness of proper interaction with other people. The most important way these conditions affect seniors however is in the aspect of safety. 

Since these conditions affect the safety and increase health risks of seniors, many seniors and their loved ones have turned to medical alert systems to provide better protection and guarantee some measure of freedom.

What are Medical Alert Systems?

A medical alert system (also known as a personal emergency response system) is an alarm system that is designed to alert emergency medical workers to the existence of a situation that requires immediate medical intervention.

Medical alert systems provide a convenient means for seniors, persons with medical conditions, as well as those who live alone to get support in the case of emergencies, whether it’s a medical problem, a fall, a fire, or any situation which requires immediate attention. In essence, these devices have a help button that links you to a representative at an emergency response center.

Medical alert systems have been employed in the improvement of the safety of seniors suffering from several medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s, hearing impairments, dementia, diabetes and epilepsy. Medical alert systems have also been employed for people with disabilities in order to improve their safety and their freedom.

In this article, you will find information on medical alert system options for all the above-listed medical conditions.

Parts of a Medical Alert System

A medical alarm system essentially includes the following components:

• A portable medical alert device that could be worn around the neck, on a belt, or the wrist. It could also be in the form of an application that runs on a smartphone and is carried in a pocket. The portable device could have a speaker and microphone. It should be noted that the portable device could either be an on-the-go medical alert system (complete with all features) or a wearable panic button (usually supplied with an in-home medical alert system).
• Sensors such as fall detection sensors, movement sensors, obstruction sensors and sensors that detect opening and closing of doors.
• An in-home base station that is either connected to a standard telephone, a WiFi network, an ISDN connection, or a cellular data network for operation anywhere there is mobile phone service.

When an alarm is activated, some systems will broadcast the GPS position of the alerting device, while others might be set to transmit other personal information (such as age, medical history, etc)

There are also a variety of other extras (emergency buttons, fall sensors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, flood detectors, and motion detectors) that may be installed around the home and connected with the base station.

Several base stations may be linked via analog or digital ISDN connections. These gadgets can run on batteries in the case of a power outage, providing an added layer of protection.

Medical Alert Systems for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Medical alert systems can assist persons with Alzheimer’s or dementia in coping with memory loss issues. They can assist them in adhering to a medicine schedule, communicating with emergency personnel, and keeping them safe both inside and outside the home.

For maximum protection, it is recommended that you look out for medical alert systems with the following features: 

• GPS monitoring services

The presence of GPS location monitoring is important in the medical alert systems of seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s. This is because these seniors have an increased tendency to wander and they may wander out of previously established “safe zones”. If/when these seniors stray, on-the-go gadgets with GPS location monitoring supply their caregivers with vital location information required to find them and safeguard them.

• Medication Reminders

Without a prompt/reminder, people with Alzheimer’s or dementia could forget to take their medications and adhere to their prescriptions. Several medical alert systems, such as MobileHelp and Alert1, provide medication reminder solutions or gadgets that alert seniors when it is time to take their medications.

Medical Alert Systems for Diabetes

Medical alert systems can be used to provide additional safety for seniors with diabetes. Medical alert systems make getting help especially in emergencies of diabetic shock easy since all the user has to do is press a panic button which initiates a two-way connection with the monitoring center. The medical alert system alerts the monitoring center and allows them to direct emergency services (who are already armed with all the vital information they need about the condition of the patient) directly to the location of the individual.

Medical Alert Systems for Epilepsy

Medical alert systems used for epilepsy and seizures are electronic devices designed to detect the occurrence of seizures. They are known as seizure alert devices, seizure alarms or seizure monitors. If you have epilepsy, a seizure alert device may detect the occurrence of seizures and warn your caregivers that you are having a seizure. It doesn’t, however, stop the seizures.  

Medical Alert Systems for Disabled Seniors

Medical alert systems allow handicapped seniors to safely navigate their neighbourhoods without fear of falling. Although there is no guarantee that a fall will not occur at one point or the other, medical alert systems offer disabled seniors fast and convenient access to capable medical intervention in case falls do occur.

Some medical alert system providers even allow the inclusion of unique functions (such as automated fall detection or GPS tracking) with medical alert devices to further improve the safety and freedom of users.

Medical Alert Systems for Seniors with Deafness and Impaired Hearing

Several medical alert system providers have developed their systems so that they may be utilized by those who are deaf or hard of hearing. These systems are equipped with a high-quality speaker that can be tuned to a high volume level that most hearing-impaired seniors can hear.

Several other medical alert systems use flashing light signals or varied vibrating signals on a pager (worn on the clothes) to alert seniors who are deaf or have impaired hearing.