Worried about a senior parent living at home alone:

Caring for an elderly mother or father can be very stressful for both the parents and there children. My mother-in-law was in the hospital for a few weeks and her health is not great. She had half her right lung removed about a year ago from scar tissue from smoking and she also has a fast heart rate. She came to stay with us for a month but my wife and I could not be at home all the time. Even when we are home, having a medical alert system in the house makes it easier to sleep. If she has trouble breathing or she feels faint, all she has to do is press the button on her wrist- it looks like a watch. My mother-in-law did not want it at 1st because she thought an ambulance or fire department would come. I told her the operator can talk to her like a 2-way radio and they can call my cell phone or call her doctor if we were not home. The operator will ask her if anything is wrong & if they should call anyone. If no one answers, they will contact whoever we put on the sheet & call the local police or ambulance. We had my mother-in-laws room set up on the lower floor to try and give her some space she could call her own. If she were to have a problem, you can here the medical alert system through-out the house. The area we were most concerned about was the bathroom. This was the 1 area where she had fallen back at the hospital but the alert unit could still pick up her voice from the bathroom.

We also received a special lock for the front door that the emergency people have the code for. This code unlocks the locking unit which has a key inside to the house- this way the police or ambulance people do not have to knock the door down.

We tested the unit a few times until she was comfortable and she wears the button all the time- even in the shower. You can even take the systems with your when you go on vacation. After she was feeling better and went back to her own home, we just call the medical alert company and set it up at her house. Knowing that she has some security with her takes some of the stress out of our life.

Copyright (c) 2008 Kevin Reilly