This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. This compensation comes from two main sources. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Health site. 300, in Peoria.The Forbes Health editorial team is independent and objective. Attend the September 10 session, “ Caring for the Caregiver,” aimed at providing information and resources designed to empower caregivers. OSF Senior World offers free regular programs for seniors and their caregivers. This is for anyone who lives alone.”įor more information on personal response systems, click here, or call (888) 289-2026. People who could have benefitted from a device avoided purchasing one. Even though it created awareness of the need for personal response devices, the ad was widely parodied. Ironically, another point of resistance comes from the old TV commercial, Karen said. A one-month free trial program also is offered. But subscriptions to Lifeline services start as low as $29.95 per month, and individuals who meet certain criteria – such as chronic disease and being on multiple medications – can qualify for reduced costs. Karen said the main concern expressed about a personal emergency response system is the price. That includes the client’s name, address and phone number, what medications they take, their medication allergies and how to gain entry to the home, including passcodes or location of a spare key, if necessary. They let us sit there and listen to actual calls.”Īs soon as an alert comes in, essential information immediately is available to the personnel at the call center. “We visited call centers for different vendors. “They were the pioneer with this,” Karen said. OSF HealthCare partners with Philips Lifeline, which offers an extensive line of personal response systems. You can get a home-based device or opt for one with GPS that connects you with emergency assistance wherever you go. Others are designed to automatically alert the system call center if the wearer has fallen. The most basic devices simply consist of a button that must be pushed to send an alert. They run on batteries and are waterproof. They are designed to be worn around the neck or wrist. Personal response systems are available with an array of features and price points. Overhearing her report the crime in progress and knowing help was on the way, the burglars quickly fled. She simply pushed the button on her pendant. When the woman heard the noise, she didn’t have to look for her phone. She tells the story of a woman in Peoria whose home was being burglarized. The advantages of a device can be extensive, especially for someone who lives alone. Karen emphasizes that personal emergency response systems aren’t simply for seniors or others at risk for a fall. “But if you get to the person quick enough, you can prevent a lot of things.” “With long lie times, it’s amazing what can happen,” Karen said. If the fall occurs outdoors in cooler weather, hypothermia is a risk. If a person is left unattended, muscle cells can start to break down within the first 30 minutes after a fall. The “can’t get up” part of a fall event is critical. She recently shared her message during a presentation at OSF Senior World, an outpatient service of OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. She preaches the importance of those medical alert devices people wear as a “just in case” safeguard. Karen is the marketing liaison for personal response systems with OSF HealthCare. I’ve never fallen,’” Karen Schaidle said. Nearly half of those who fall but are not injured still require help getting up. Statistics show that more than 25% of seniors will experience a fall. Nobody wants to be that person in the iconic television commercial: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”Īnd yet, if you are 65 or older, the odds are pretty strong you will be that person someday. Medical alert systems reach beyond senior falls
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