Over 36 million elderly adults fall every year. After a fall where hospitalization was needed, a person is more likely to lose their independence and be admitted into a nursing home.

Do you worry about your aging parents? Are there fall risks in their home? Do they need a medical alert system to help protect them in case of a fall when no one else is around?

Here are some of the questions you need to ask before choosing a medical alert system for your aging parents.

Do They Have a Landline Option or Reliable Cell Phone Coverage?

Once you have determined that your parent needs to have some type of medical alert system or other life alert alternatives, you will be swamped with tons of options. The first thing you need to look at is whether they would want a landline alert system or mobile alert system. 

Some medical alert systems are only connected through a landline. If your parent does not have a landline, then this option is clearly out. 

However, if you do a mobile option, you want to make sure that they have adequate and reliable cell phone coverage. 

Is Fall Detection Included?

Most medical alert systems require the wearer to press a button in case of a fall or other type of emergency. but what if the wearer falls and hits their head or suffers a stroke and is unable to press the button?

Getting a life alert system that has fall detection would take care of that problem for you. Fall detection automatically detects the sudden acceleration and will alert emergency services without a button needing to be pressed. 

Some companies have included apps that contain an elderly monitoring camera that will monitor and detect if an emergency is occurring in a non-invasive way. 

Do They Have a 24/7 Monitoring System?

Another important question you have to ask is whether or not the medical alert system has 24/7 monitoring capabilities. Companies such as Life Assure that have 24/7 monitoring services will be able to determine what kind of emergency is happening. 

They will either call emergency services, personal contacts like family members, or a non-emergency line. They will call no matter if it is night or day, a holiday, or a weekend. 

Alert systems that are not monitored may only call a family member once. If no one picks up, they won’t make a follow-up call. They may then call emergency services, leaving the ambulance charge to you, even if an ambulance was not needed. 

Learn More on How to Find the Best Medical Alert System 

A medical alert system can help provide both you and your aging mom or aging dad some peace of mind. There are many deciding factors that go into choosing the best alert system for your parents. But hopefully, the questions above got you on the right path to making the best selection. 

Want to keep learning about the best medical alert system and other types of senior care? Be sure to follow along for more articles on all the latest in elderly care.