It is time to rethink Medical Alert Systems. The “I’ve fallen and can’t get up” commercials all point to a frail elderly clientele, but where do the rest of us fit in?
My niece, a nurse in her 50s, wrote to tell me that she fell in her kitchen last week. She said “I slipped and fell hard, hard enough to make me realize how lucky I had been. My cell phone was in the living room, I was on vacation so not expected at work, and I have no close neighbors. If the fall had been related to my diabetes or heart condition I would have been out of luck. It is very possible that I wouldn’t have been found until the following Tuesday when a friend was due to come over.”
Should you use an alert system? If you live alone, are at risk for falling for any reason, or like to hike, jog or walk where the terrain is uneven, you need to have some sort of contingency plan. Your cell phone may not be enough. A cell phone is not waterproof and you probably do not carry it with you at all times. Admit it; you spend more time looking for your cell phone than using it. A Medical Alert bracelet may be the answer. The key is remembering to wear it; an alert system is only effective if you have it on. You should wear it in the shower, when sleeping, cooking or walking outside.
Wearing an alert bracelet will not make you look old. A lot of people, regardless of age, are wearing bracelets that track activity, are GPS locators and/or medical alert buttons. They look like an ordinary wrist watch (yes, most of them tell the time too) but they do so much more.
Medical alert systems are not just for the frail elderly. Wearing a medical alert device does not label you as “old”. All it really means is that you are smart enough to take care of yourself.
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