There's nothing more stressful than worrying about aging parents.
They took care of you and it can be frustrating, even painful to think that you can't take care of them––especially when they need you most.
And the stresses aren't limited to worrying about Mom or Dad. This constant worry places a lot of strain on relationships, can affect your work and your home life and put your own health and mental wellness at risk.
The reality is that many families are separated by distance today. It's rare that we live down the street, never mind in the same house as our elderly parents. It's more common than ever that Mom and Dad live in another state or even across the country.
One of the things we worry about most, especially when a single parent is living alone, is that one in the morning phone call––Mom has fallen and was taken to the hospital. It's even worse when you find out she couldn't call for help and was lying on the floor until someone happened to check in the next day.
It happened to us. And that's why we investigated medical alert systems for Alex's Mom.
What was important to us…
As we started to look at options, there were some clear differences. Depending on your situation some may be more or less important than others, but here were our top priorities:
#1 Reliability
The system is no good if it doesn't work. That should seem obvious, but some products just don't have a good track record of performance when you need it most.
#2 Ease of use
Alex's Mom is a brilliant woman, but like many people in their 80s, she just didn't grow into today's technology. She still insists on using an old clamshell phone and will not get rid of her landline. She needs something that doesn't require tech support to set up.
#3 Great customer support
Which brings us to support. When you do need it––you want it! We shopped several vendors and we wanted a service that would be available and responsive.
#4 No long term-contract
Like many elderly parents, Alex's Mom sometimes just doesn't like new things. There's nothing worse than being locked into a long-term contract for something she's going to refuse to use. Several of the companies we investigated required year long commitments.
#4 Price
Not the most important consideration in our minds, but I felt it was important to highlight. Mainly because several of the legacy systems are still priced like they're a rare commodity. The medical alert market has expanded greatly since the days of "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" And of course new technology has made systems more reliable and less expensive. Some companies have simply not adapted to changing market pressures.
So what system did we get and why?
We chose MobileHelp.
And so far, we could not be happier.
First of all, we researched carefully for a company with excellent customer support. MobileHelp consistently rated in the top 3 with third party reviewers.
As advertised, it was extremely easy to set up. Once it arrived, her caregiver, who is not a tech expert had the system working in just minutes. Alex got the test message and was able to set up her "care circle" right away. This is a group of people who will be alerted if anything happens.
We didn't want a long-term contract. Like I said earlier, Alex's Mom quite often just doesn't like something once she gets it. With MobileHelp you can cancel at any time, and you don't have to purchase any expensive equipment.
Fall detection was a key factor in choosing MobileHelp. Many higher priced services didn't have it. We've gotten two of those early morning calls over the past couple of years––and both times it had been difficult for Mom to call for help.
Believe me, there have been many sleepless night worrying that Mom could be lying on the floor somewhere. And the last episode involved her getting lost while driving and trying to navigate around downed power lines after a recent storm.
Mom had been without power for several days and when she got lost, her cell phone was dead. She had to flag down a good Samaritan in a parking lot who called us for her and got help from the police.
Her personal MobileHelp device would have brought her help with the push of a button. And even home without power, MobileHelp would have worked just fine over the local cellphone network.
Now don't worry––Alex's Mom is not driving any more. This adventure put an end to that––finally.
And finally Alex and I have peace of mind knowing that while Mom still refuses to have overnight care, if she needs help it's only a push of a button away. And if she falls and can't get up, help will be on the way automatically.
There are a few good options out there, but we've put our trust in MobileHelp.
Right now, save $60 with either the MobileHelp Solo or Duo systems with an annual plan. Check out all their options, free shipping and more with one of these banners…
____________________________________________________-
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. Please understand that we have experienced or researched all of these companies, and we recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something through our links. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel absolute comfortable doing business with our affiliates.