1st MedAlert

Falls happen every day and are often experienced by each of us. Often we see minor falls or slips as an inconvenience, but some falls may lead to seriously injuries or possibly death. Most people tend to undermine most of our falls, blaming them on our just being “clumsy”. But there are many simple safeguards that can be implemented to greatly reduce falls in our own homes. Some see fall prevention as an unimportant issue, but falls have been the second leading cause of unintentional death in America since the early nineteenth century. In 1995, 7,300 Americans died as a result of falls in the home. One in three emergency room visits is for falls, and falls represent the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. The lifetime cost to society for falls in 1985 was $37.3 billion, with $14.7 billion of that composed of direct costs. Falls continue to be the leading cause of injury and death for people over 65 and over half of fatal falls involve people over 75 — this age group only constitutes 4% of the population.
Stairs are one of the greatest challenges in fall prevention at home. More than 75% of all stair-related falls take place in the home. Most falls happen on shorter flights of steps; one study states that 80% of falls on stairs were on ones with five or fewer steps.  Of these most falls occur on the top or bottom three steps.

Stairs

• Use non-skid contrasting tape, rubber stair treads at one-inch intervals on carpeted stairs. Use coated skid resistant surface treatment on non-carpeted stairs. When applying strips of tape make sure the surface is clean and dry. Three strips of tape are suggested to provide good traction on a typical step.
• Check carpeting to make sure it is firmly attached along stairs. Replace/ Repair worn or loose carpet promptly. If applying new carpet, select a pattern that doesn’t visually hide the edge of the steps, or lead one to believe the steps have ended when they actually haven’t.
• Avoid placing throw rugs or scatter rugs at the top or bottom of stairways.
• Install stair handrails, for further prevention install them on both sides.
• Be sure stairway is well lit and has “on/off” switches at both the top and bottom of stairs.
• Never leave ANY objects on stairs.
• Avoid the any practices that can contribute to stair falls. (IE: hurrying, inattention, obscured vision, carrying large loads)

All Rooms

• Arrange furniture so it is not blocking major walking paths.
• Make sure you can access light switches without having to walk through unlit areas.
• Make sure that rugs and mats are held in place by a rubber mat underneath or carpet tape to prevent slippage.

Kitchen

• Clean all spills immediately.
• When using step stools make they are sturdy. (Use ones with handrails for more stabilization.)

Bathroom

• Use rubber bath mats or strips in bathtubs and showers.
• Installing grab bars in the bath or shower can greatly reduce further the risk from the injury of falls.
• Clean up all spilled water from floor.

Yard/Garage

• Try installing handrails along outdoor steps.
• Spread ice melt, rock salt or sand on icy walkways.
• Clean spills before walking on them — especially oil or grease on cement floors.
• When using a ladder, make sure that all ladder feet are on level ground, and that the ladder is angled against the wall properly.
• When climbing, face the ladder and hold on to ladder rungs firmly. If reaching, make sure always to keep your hips and body weight centered between the rails.
• When using a stepladder, make sure it is fully opened and both spreaders are firmly locked.
• Do not climb a closed stepladder; it may slip out from under you, as it not intended to be used when closed.
• Never climb on the back side of a singled-sided stepladder. It is not designed to carry a person’s weight.
• Use a ladder that is the correct length for the task you are doing.

In a recent study from the American Geriatric Society following 60 functionally independent individuals at the age of 75 years or older admitted to the hospital from their home for acute illness, showed that 75% were no longer independent on discharge. This is includes 15% of which were discharged to nursing homes.

Many cases show the patients decline in health cannot be completely attributed to the reason in which they were initially hospitalized. Some problems are caused by complications with the disease or its management. Commonly negative drug reactions are the main contributor to this. Another likely contributor is stress. Aging adults see changes in their ability to easily become stressed in various situations. This stress in turn can cause the individual to experience temporary loss of reserve function that in ordinary circumstances would not be a problem.

Another issue may be declining muscle strength. While some elderly persons have the ability to attend to activities such as showering, shopping, and daily needs, a few days of bed rest may result in the inability to do so with ease. Declining strength is a major cause of falls in the elderly and a contributor to the many falls that occur in the hospital, particularly as the patients try to climb over the rails to get out of their hospital beds.

These falls can result in further injury and in some cases broken bones. An example of this may be a hip fracture. Approximately 50% of patients with hip fractures are discharged from the hospital to nursing homes; and 25%-30% of those persons still reside in nursing homes one year later. That means that only 20% of these patients return to their homes with a functional level of independence after repair of a hip fracture.

In closing, the most important thing is to avoid hospitalization in the first place. Some steps to help are daily exercise, maintaining a healthy diet and taking necessary precautions to make your home safe from falls and accidents.

When choosing a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) provider it’s a good idea to compare your options. When talking to salespeople, you should take notes on your findings to narrow down the list of potential providers.

Caution: Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics.

The highly competitive market for emergency response systems has unfortunately led to un-honest behavior by some providers. To be extra sure of your choice you should check with the appropriate agencies to verify claims. IE: Better Business Bureau, your state Attorney General’s office, and your local consumer protection agency and local aging services. Many companies will continue to call you once they have your phone number and try to further pressure you. We never do, we let our prices and information speak for us and lets you call us back.

Key questions to ask are as follows:

1. What’s the average response time from the moment the button is pushed until a responder comes on the line?
Almost all companies track their response times (usually measured in seconds) and make this information readily available. If a company is hesitant about disclosing this or doesn’t have the data, you may want to look elsewhere. Our Response time is 30-45 seconds, among the fastest in the nation.

2. Is there a setup or activation fee?
Some companies charge extra to activate the service or to do an installation. When figuring the total cost, it’s a good idea to know in advance what this might cost. Most companies charge an additional $40 - $200 just for installation, ours is free.

3. What customer support is available?
It’s good to know what hours and days the support team is available in the event that the unit breaks or malfunctions. Ours is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

4. How is the response center staff trained?
Currently there is not a government-regulated PERS staff training or certification required. Many companies train their staff in a variety of ways. Don’t be afraid to press for details. Every member of our response team is EMD certified, this is the same certification that 911 operators are required to complete.

5. Is the transmitter (help button) battery life monitored?
What happens when the battery is low or dies? Some companies use technology that can remotely track the life of a battery. When the battery is low, the company will then supply a new battery or transmitter. Most times they will charge for this, so it is good know in advance if this is free of charge. Other companies, however, require the battery to be monitored manually, by the person in the home. Our Company will monitor the battery life of your button from our response center and notify you when a new one is needed. If you would like a replacement we charge the wholesale cost of $25. Expected battery life of a new button is 2-3 years. We can also show you how to test the button manually if that is what you would like.

6. What kind of transmitter comes with the system?
Transmitter designs may vary from a necklace pendant, wristband, or a tie clip to interchangeable systems that let you switch from one mode to the other. Some companies may have additional charges for these options. We supply the choice of wristband or necklace pendants and have no additional charge for this option.

7. Is there a free or money-back testing period for trying out the system?
It’s always a good idea to have a chance to try a system out. If it’s not working out, for whatever reason, do you get a refund? If not, how much will you be charged to stop service? With our month to month no obligation plan you get the option to try out the unit without being charged an installation or cancellation fee.

8. Can you get out of a contract if your parent dies or moves out of the service area?
Consider the financial liability if you or your parent signs a long-term PERS contract and your parent passes away, goes to the hospital or moves to a nursing home. We will void the contract if this happens as soon as the unit is returned.

9. Are there additional costs?
Will your pricing plan remain constant or will it change over time? Some more complex pricing involve tiers, this means your parent will pay less if they are willing to commit to the service for a longer period of time. This may be an advantage, but can cause confusion. Request to have prices in writing (e-mail is okay). Our prices are clearly posted with no hidden costs and have not changed in six years.

Other questions may be, but are not limited to:

• Do you have to buy the unit or can you rent it? What is the cost of buying vs. renting? We offer both. If you purchase the unit and have no further use will even offer to buy it back.
• What warranties are provided? We supply a lifetime warranty on an unit that is in our service.
• Where are repairs made? Who pays for them? The repairs are made by the manufacturer and we pay the cost.
• Who does the monitoring system call? Our system contacts our response center, they will contact whoever you set up on the list. Some people choose a family member, a neighbor, EMS, or 911. On basic installation we will assign up to five contacts, but the number of contacts you can have is not limited.
• How often is the system tested? We require the unit to be tested monthly. If you do not test it, we will call and remind you.
• How long has the company been in business? We have been in business for six years and have clients all over the nation.