Medical Alert Devices Save Lives

I’m a strong believer in medical alert devices, especially for people living alone.

In last month’s blog, I provided basic information and questions to ask if you or a loved one is in need of these life-saving devices.

This month, I’m going to make it more personal. I’m also going to urge children to pay for these medical alert devices if their aging parents or elderly loved ones don’t see a need for the expense.

Working in the senior care industry as the owner of Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, Colo., I often hear stories of elderly individuals who have fallen, including some who have died because they could not summon help.

One woman fell outside after taking out her garbage on a winter day in Colorado. She died alone in the cold.

Another story involves my own mother. (I said I was going to make this more personal.)

My mom lived alone in Michigan. Despite repeated pleas from my brother and me, she refused to invest in a medical alert device. What happened next is sad. And it’s a situation that could have been prevented.

She fell in her garage. Since she lived alone and didn’t have a medical alert device, no one could come to her rescue.

It was hours before police arrived. She died trying to reach the door to her home. If she’d made it inside, she might have been able to reach a phone and call for help. But she never got that far.

Please don’t let this happen to you or a loved one. Take it from me. It’s hard enough to lose a parent. But to think of your parent dying in such a cruel and totally avoidable way is torture.

At the very least, get medical alert devices for your parents or elderly loved ones if they live alone. You also might want to look at some of the senior communities in your area, such as Country Home Assisted Living in Parker, where 24/7 care is always available.