P.E.R.S. Additional Information
- Call Center Offers Crucial Information During An Emergency
- Are Your Aging Parents Susceptable to Falls?
- Are Your Parents Safe In Their Home?
- Stroke Survivors Require Reliable Medical Alarm Systems
- D-tek-TION: Changing the Face of Caregiving
- What to Consider When Leaving an Emergency Contact
- Medical Alarm Systems: Part of Health Care
- Safe Independent Living
- How to Pick the Right P.E.R.S.
- A Recession Friendly Alternative to Long-Term Care
Call Center Offers Crucial Information During an Emergency
D-tek-TION’s medical alarm system is a practical solution to medical emergency situations. Sometimes an aging parent is not able to provide important medical information when an emergency arises. For that reason, emergency medical personnel usually rely on the adult children or a spouse for that information. Unfortunately, far too many times, these closest relatives are also at a loss when it comes to knowing the names of doctors, medications or whether the individual has had any surgeries. To save precious time in an emergency, D-tek-TION’s medical alarm systems have made it possible for emergency medical personnel to gain access to the most important information immediately.
When a D-tek-TION user presses the personal pendant (wrist or necklace) button, a professional attendant contacts the appropriate emergency services and provides them with important information about you (as provided by you at an earlier time).
As well, D-tek-TION Security P.E.R.S. clients are recommended to use the Vial of Life Program. It provides current, timely and vital information to the responding agency.
Are Your Aging Parents susceptible to falls?
There are a variety of health issues that make it challenging for aging parents to walk around. Unfortunately, if your parents are unstable on their feet, they are at a higher risk of falling. Some health issues that make it hard for aging parents to get around include muscle weakness, arthritis and other age-related changes. Whether or not these health issues have been diagnosed, it is important to pay attention to how your parents are walking because they may be in need of D-tek-TION’s home medical alarm.
Are they having trouble walking usual distances in the house? Is knee or hip arthritis making it hard to perform their usual routine? Pay attention if your parents could use a cane or walker to help them get around the house easier. If so, our personal pendants are designed to summon help at the push of a button, giving you the peace of mind that your parents will be provided with the proper emergency care in the event of a fall.
In addition to being at a higher risk of falling, having trouble walking around could also mean that your aging parents may have problems caring for themselves. If you notice they are indeed unsteady on their feet, it is important to prevent falls by making their home safer and helping them stay active. D-tek-TION’s systems are designed to be a back-up system to ensure your parents will receive timely help if they do happen to fall.
Are Your parents safe in their home?
Although a personal emergency response system is designed to notify emergency services in the event of an accident such as a fall, we at D-tek-TION believe it is still crucial to make sure that your aging parents are safe in their own home. You can help to ensure your parents’ home is safe by taking a tour, keeping an eye out for any signs that may mean they are having trouble maintaining their home. For example, find out if the lights aren’t working, if the heat is on or if the well-maintained yard has become overgrown. Is the home messy and cluttered or are there piles of trash?
When it comes to safety, make sure to check if your parents have a hard time traveling up and down stairways or if they have had any recent falls. Pay attention to changes in your parents’ hearing and vision. For example, note whether they can read directions on prescription medications or hear the doctor’s advice. Any major changes in the way your parents do things around the house could provide insight to their health. Neglected housework could mean a variety of things including dementia and depression. Other smaller signs such as light bulbs that need to be replaced could point to physical limitations. Once your tour and assessment is complete, speak to your parents about your findings and come up with a viable plan such as a personal emergency response system in the event of emergencies or elderly care workers that offer light housework services.
Stoke Survivors Require Reliable Medical Alarm Systems
Taking care of a stroke survivor can be stressful. You may be concerned your family member or friend will have another stroke. However, there are several steps you can take to make the transition from hospital to home easier on everyone, including purchasing a home medical alarm system. A personal emergency response system is ideal for stroke patients seeking a more active and independent lifestyle.
D-tek-TION offers a way for independent stroke patients to have immediate response medical care on hand when time is of the essence. Stoke patients need a fast way to receive medical assistance, especially if they are at risk of another stroke. D-tek-TION’s personal pendant allows the stoke patient to summon emergency medical response by the touch of a button. Once the button is pressed, a trained attendant will speak to the patient through the base unit and alert the appropriate emergency medical responders (EMS). Just as important, D-tek-TION’s attendants will contact designated friends and family to coordinate care and provide peace of mind that emergency services are on the way.
In addition to stroke survivors, D-tek-TION’s 24-hour ULC monitoring service is also ideal in the event of other life threatening emergencies, including cardiac arrest, choking and heart attack.
D-tek-TION: Changing the Face of Caregiving
While traditional, hands-on caregiving has been the norm for centuries, new technological advances can help both family and professional caregivers give better treatment to aging loved ones. Innovative technology such as D-tek-TION’s home medical alert system provides the safety and security they need at the push of a button.
If you’re experiencing high levels of stress from taking care of a family member or friend, you are not alone. Hundreds of Thousands of people in Canada provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year. And we all know that caregiving can be emotionally and physically demanding. A recent study reveals that family caregivers report having a chronic condition at more than twice the rate of non-caregivers. According to a different study, family caregivers experiencing extreme stress have been shown to age prematurely—in some cases as much as 10 years. In yet another study, the stress of family caregiving for persons with dementia has been shown to impact a person’s immune system for up to three years after their caregiving ends.
At D-tek-TION , we believe that our innovative personal emergency response system can help alleviate some of the stress for both the user and the caregiver alike. The user is able to keep their independence and dignity and remain in their own home, while the caregiver can have the peace of mind that help can be summoned with the touch of a button. In addition to emergency response services.
What to Consider When Leaving an Emergency Contact
One of the most critical things a person can do when signing up for a home medical alarm system is to leave emergency contacts. These are the people who will be contacted by our Help Centre operators in case of an injury or illness where the patient is unresponsive. Often these people may become “first responders,” often getting to the patient before medical help arrives or having to make the decision on sending emergency response units.
So it’s very important when you purchase a personal emergency pendant that you put a lot of thought into who you register as your emergency contacts. Ask yourself if these people are familiar with your medical history, such as past illness or what medications you are currently taking. Also, think about if they will be able to reach you in case you need immediate help. It’s not a decision that one should make lightly, since it might save your life.
Medical Alarm Systems: Part of Health Care
As we attempt to find a solution to caring for our families many people are now considering alternatives to home caregivers and senior residences. One of the most effective and efficient considerations is the personal emergency response systems.
In fact, according to a new study from ABI Research, around 15 million wireless telehealth systems are forecast to be in use by early 2012, reports SOA World. Wireless telehealth systems are designed to monitor a person’s physical condition or surroundings and transmit that information back to medical practitioners using cellular connections. Although D-tek-TION home medical alert system is designed for emergency situations, the benefits of using these types of systems are the same.
D-tek-TION Security makes it possible for people to remain and age in the safety and comfort of their own homes. This benefit, in turn, avoids the cost and burden of medical and residential institutions. In addition, both wireless telehealth systems and medical alarm systems offer the ability to monitor and track user status in order to provide help before they require expensive hospitalization and treatment.
According to the article, “North America, with its ageing population and tech-oriented medical industry, is central to the telehealth market and is expected to remain so over the report’s forecast period which extends through 2014.
This is great news for D-tek-TION Security and our clients. Our systems are designed to provide peace of mind 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year!
Safe Independent Living
Aging is a natural part of life, and for many of us the idea of being able to live at home as we grow older is important. According to a recent study by AARP magazine, remaining at home as long as possible is a goal for 89% of people 50 and older. The study also found that the longer we live, the stronger that desire becomes. Statistics reveal that 95% of people 75 and older want to stay at home. The good news is, with the help of personal emergency response systems such as D-tek-TION’s , we can. In an interview with AARP, the head of the National Aging in Place Council Peter Bell said, “The ability to monitor a relative’s well-being remotely through these devices is groundbreaking. They can give an adult child peace of mind, knowing some risks associated with aging can be addressed, such as falling—which is the big one.”
One-third of older adults experience a fall each year, according to AARP, and a fourth of those who fall lose some independence due to injury. While falling is common issue among the aged or ailing, home medical alert systems can help. In the case of a fall, for instance, a user can press the panic button–either worn as a pendant around the neck or a bracelet on the wrist– and they will be connected to an attendant who will talk to Mom or Dad and contact the proper emergency response services, if necessary. The attendant can also contact caregivers, family, and friends.
OF COURSE, the home medical alert system may be used and the Help Centre instantly accessed if there is a concern about the smell of smoke or a possible intruder. The personal emergency response system with the Help Centre is focused on reducing or eliminating the fears of living alone, no matter age or physical ability!
How To Pick The Right P.E.R.S.
There is a large variety of personal emergency response systems (PERS) on the market. What details make one home alert system better than another or more suitable for certain individuals? When looking to purchase medical alerts, individuals should consider reliability, features, and cost.
Medical alert systems generally have two parts—the base and the panic button that is built into a personal emergency pendant worn on the wrist, belt or necklace. A reliable system should provide coverage even for unforeseen events like an electricity outage. The equipment should also work at a reasonable range of distance so that the client can go about his or her regular activities in each room of the house and perhaps on the patio or yard at a close range as well. As with all products, cost is a critical factor. We place a priority on making our products affordable, and our D-tek-TION Security customers can lower the monthly cost further in two ways—they can buy the base unit rather than renting it, or they can opt to subscribe to a plan for several months. Clients who feel it is more economical to avoid upfront and long-term costs can rent a home alert systems for as little as $28.95 a month (including free shipping of the alarm and base).
A Recession Friendly Alternative to Long-Term Care
With most economists unclear as to how much longer the recession will last, personal emergency response systems have proven to be a recession-friendly alternative to the exorbitant costs of long-term care. Many home medical alarms are available for $1 or less per day; meanwhile, the cost of long-term care can easily exceed hundreds of dollars per day and thousands of dollars per month. Across Canada the average daily cost of assisted-living facilities ranges from $60 to $135. And according to a study published in the journal Inquiry, 58% of men and 79% of women ages 65+ will require some level of long-term care within their lifetimes.
Our personal emergency response system is a reasonable alternative to allow you to remain in your own home with dignity and independence for a significantly longer period of time and supports your caring family in that they will know you are never alone – 24/7. Ultimately you will save thousands of dollars every month until you decide it is time to participate in a senior’s residence. It is a personal choice and consultation with your loved ones is appropriate because “they care”. And occasionally, after your decision to go into a ‘home’ , there is a waiting period of many months and the home medical alarm system may be a consideration to keep you safe during your wait.
Click here to return to our main P.E.R.S. Medical Security page.