Medical Alert Systems vs Mobile Phones for Seniors

People often sound out concerns about the usefulness of medical alert systems by claiming that the same results can be earned with a simple phone call. This is a flawed argument – there are several cases when a person is unable to speak for themselves – but in all fairness noteworthy alternatives do exist. For example, dedicated smartphone apps are popular among tech-savvy elderly people and those with serious medical conditions. In this case we mean standalone medical alert applications, not the ones provided by companies alongside their standard service.

As mentioned above, relying solely on a phone isn’t enough stay protected from unexpected emergencies. During a stroke or sudden seizure, victims quickly lose control over their body, rendering them unable to pull out their phones and call for an ambulance. As for elderly, they live in constant fear of falling and lying unconscious on the floor, and in this case calling for help is also out of question.

Medical alert smartphone apps are partial answers for such problems. They provide a means for users to set up custom contact lists, keep their medical history on file and, most importantly, dial 911 with a single touch of the screen. In some cases the software even sends a text message to specified end-users. It’s also not rare for apps to introduce other unique features, too. The Man Down App, for example, has fall detection: upon activating the mode the phone triggers the alarm when the user doesn’t change position for a couple of minutes. Standalone medical alert apps often come for free or charge only a one-time fee, which is only a fraction of the monthly commitment billed by a monitoring medical alert company.