Medical alert help (parents, old, first, appropriate)

[Mattie]

I'm not sure if this is the best place to put this question, but hopefully someone is in a similar situation and can offer advice.

My mother is a recent widow, living alone in a 55+ neighborhood. She wears one of those bracelets that allows her to push a button for help should she fall or otherwise need help. Last night she did fall, but she didn't press the button because her doors were locked and she didn't think she could get up to open them. Fortunately, she suffered only bruises, and managed after a time to get up.

I was under the impression that by enrolling her in this type of program, they would have a key to her home, but that isn't the case, and she's reluctant to give them one anyway, because she doesn't know who they have working for them.

Her neighbor has a key, but travels frequently, as do many of her other friends.

What is the best method of insuring someone can gain entry in an emergency? I live 4 hours away, so the key I have isn't much help. Do local police depts generally have programs to keep the keys of seniors on hand?

[AnonChick]

When you have an alert pendant, what it does, is sends a signal to a central monitoring station. That station will communicate with you via the telephone, or a speaker on the wall, or via the pendant itself if it comes with a built-in speaker. The operator will ask the nature of the emergency. Depending on the answer (or lack thereof), it will call the appropriate local emergency respondants: fire, police, or medical.

The direct answer to your question, is that either the fire department, the police department, or the local ambulance will arrive at her house and attempt to gain entry. If she lives in a gated residential neighborhood (like a retirement community for example), the property manager might have a master key, or a key to every unit in the community. If she's a tenant, the building supervisor or residential manager will have a key either to every unit, or a master key.

If the emergency is such that she cannot communicate what the problem is, or how to acquire the key, the respondant (fire, police, or medical) will pop the door open to get to her. Her safety is the first priority. Her things are secondary.

[Mattie]

Her development isn't gated, nor is she a tenant. I did call the local police department today, because they have a program in place to check on seniors, but they do not hold keys. My brother wants me to get a lock box (such as realtors use) for her front door, but that would only be useful if she could give the medic alert people the combination.

I'm guessing we have to resign ourselves to the idea that they can and will break down her door if necessary. It just seems to me that many other seniors are in the same position, and somebody has a solution out there.

[AnonChick]

The positive side of this, is that the respondants will know that there is someone who needs help. That is the first and foremost benefit of those pendants. Think of the people who don't have them, and can't get to a phone to call for help. No one will be breaking down their doors, because no one will know that they need help.

[anifani821]

Does your mom's home have a garage? If so, you can install a touchpad wh/ can be used to gain access to her home. If an interior door has to be broken down in order for entry to be gained, at least that way it would be the door inbetween the garage and the interior, rather than one on the exterior of the house.

[neddy]

What about one of the touch pads deadbolts by Kwikset or such? Not only could she have a code programmed in there for help to get in when she needed it but I believe those can be hooked up to the internet and you can regulate the locks that way and also unlock them if need be over the internet. Look into them might be what you need

[Mattie]

I didn't even know there were touch pad deadbolts! That sounds ideal. But, in the meantime, we are going with Anifani's suggestion and having a touchpad installed for her garage door. My mother is okay with giving the Lifeline people a code, but she didn't want to be leaving keys with strangers.

Thank you all.

[inave]

When my parents wore an alert necklace, the company always called me first. Of course, I lived next door to them so I would go check and make sure there wasn't an actual emergency.

[helenetay]

My senior parents just installed a medi alert system that installs, I guess it's an intercom of some sort, in each room of their small condo. When they press the button on their medi alert necklace (if one falls) the person at the central station calls in and they can talk back and forth to one another. I also get a call from the service as well as the emergency responders. They also wear a Medical Alert Necklace in case one of them falls outside the condo or when away from home.

[okpondlady]

When my father was living at his home I never could get him to wear one of these. He always went up to his lady friend's house for breakfast by a certain time. One day he didn't show up so she called me (I lived in the same town) and I went over there. He had fallen in the middle of the night and couldn't get up by himself. I called the local ambulance because I couldn't help him up either. He wasn't seriously injured more than his pride. After that he put a phone on the floor by his bed. He could move around, just not get up. I tried to get him to buy one of those pendants but he thought having a phone on the floor was good enough. The next time he fell he broke his ankle and couldn't move without being in excruciating pain AND he was in the bathroom getting out of the shower. At least that time it wasn't overnight, just an hour or so before his Lady Friend called me.
They are really good and at least would have given ME piece of mind.