Are any of you using the medical alert plans that have the bracelets/necklaces that you push if you need help?

I am starting to think that the one I have is a lot more $$ than other plans and I will switch if I could find another plan that is suitable.

gmi

I asked a similar question a week or so ago.....hopefully you'll get more responses than I did!

I did find a link - it's in my post - regarding complaints about the service. It made me think twice before considering that plan. I think that particular website reviews all kinds of different services and products.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post613587-1.html

When I lived in WA state, I had a setup like that for the last several years. I wore a wristband with a button to press if I needed help, and there was a speakerphone in my bedroom where somebody would come on the line and ask if I needed help.

That was provided thanks to state social services benefits, and I didn't pay a cent for it. In fact, I was strongly encouraged to get it though I found it to be a nuisance sometimes.

There were times when they made mistakes--and came on the phone even though I hadn't pressed any button. There were other times when there was interference with my phone or Internet connection.

Wearing the wrist band was easier than wearing the pendant for me (I tried both). The wrist band wasn't a problem at all. It was so lightweight I wasn't even aware of it most of the time.

Here in Oregon I no longer have this and can't say I miss it much. But I live in a place with emergency pull cords in the bathroom and bedroom--and anyone pulling the cord will have a call put through to 911.

My mother in law had one but it wasn't life alert. It was quite a few years ago so I can't rememebr what company it was. It was through our senior program at our local hospital. But it was nice. She wore the pendant and if she punched it they would determine whether it was a problem for a 911 call or something a family member could take care of. And believe me they said some of the calls were just things that they just wanted a family memebr there! They have a list of people, don't have to be family, to call 1st, 2nd, etc. She did use it twice for emergency calls.

I've had Life Alert for a couple years but thankfully, never had to use it. I set it off twice accidentally when books fell on top of the thing they talk through!! Since then, I've put the books somewhere else! I think it's around $50 a month -- I use a credit card and don't pay too much attention, just pay the bill. I use the wrist band instead of the pendant as it gets in the way hanging around my neck.

Good luck!

Agate,
Can I be a nag for a minute? I fell and hit my head on a heat duct floor grate. I lay there and no way could I have crawled to a pull-cord. Luckily my lungs worked and DH was home to hear me yell. When I fell off a chair fixing DD's curtain (stupid, yes I know) I yelled for poor little DS and said as I lay bleeding (I knew head wounds always bleed a lot) "If Mommy passes out, call 911".

My aunt had one company that everytime she rolled over at night, that button got pushed. it was ultra sensitive. She went through 4 or 5 before they finally got one that didnt trigger when the wind blew. That was the life alert folks. Everytime it triggered they spoke to her thru the main machine.

I used to work as a medic, and frequently got the "life alert" response call for a pushed button, now unresponsive. They will roll an ambulance without hesitation, and 9 times out of 10 by the time we got there, the police had already arrived.