Is anyone bothered by the ‘life alert’ type commercials on television where an elderly person has fallen?

Dosmo, yes, there is (at least one) device that will call first responders, but it does first connect with the company that maintains the service.   The unit I got for my father and will probably get for myself is a small pendant, with some type of vertical sensor.    Dad kept it in his pocket.   If Dad bent over, it activated and the company called him to determine if he was in trouble.

If he didn't answer, it called me, and then first responders if I couldn't be reached.   The 3 people to be called can vary; it could be arranged with the company to call first responders before anyone else.

What we also did was have a friend attach a lockbox in the house studs next to the front door.   I provided the combination to first responders so they could get in since I was a 45+ minute drive away.   

I felt it was valuable and reliable.   More than once Dad received a call while I was there; he was just bending over putting on his shoes or picking up something from the floor.

We arranged for that service through a company which made its name providing household burglary and monitoring services.   Although local to Michigan, it has expanded into other areas.  

I don't recall if it activated outside of Dad's house, i.e., in the yard, but it did activate when he was the VA once.

YOUR cell phone may be near you all the time, but dont assume this is true for less than tech savvy seniors. Most dont remember to carry their phone everywhere in their home 24/7. What about 3 AM bathroom trips? And if, god forbid, you are ever break a hip, are alone, in pain, out of touch and unable to get off the floor..."whiney" doesnt begin to describe what you will be.

Yes, I absolutely hate this commercial and that they play on people's fears this way.! I push the mute button when this comes on, or better yet just switch to another channel for a minute or so.

I hate the Fleet enema commercials, showing the elderly people dancing around. Really? Dancing because you get to have an enema? Really?

Yes, the one with the woman falling down the stairs bothers me.

But it bothers me more that other people think this the woman is "whiney" or criticize her appearance. If you live alone with help out of reach, fall and cannot get up, you can easily feel as desperate as this woman sounds. I have been there.
Don't for a minute assume that everyone, especially a senior who may not be too comfortable with electronics, has their "phone" with them at all times! Mine is usually out of reach when I am at home. I don't carry it 24/7. And don't assume that getting up from a fall is a simple matter (it is for most people when younger, but not always for seniors). If one has had both knees replaced, it may be excruciatingly painful to even try. If the fall has resulted in an injury, e.g. a hip fracture, it may be impossible.
I now live in an independent living apartment but have a wrist (can also be a pendent) button to summon help from facility caregivers. I used it several times until I had spine surgery that mostly eliminated all falls. However, it is still reassuring to have it handy.

I am skeptical about some of these devices that can be used outside of a facility. Nice if you have family. But I do not. Certainly don't want to bother good friends, especially at night, who have better things to do than to look after me. Are there devices that just call the local fire department or some similar service?

When we had mom here we had to call in monthly to 'test' the system. It seemed like it took forever for them to answer. I would hate for it to be an emergency situation!

At least they don't show the one that much where the lady is at the bottom of the basement steps.

Besides, they show the various Colonel Penn commercials pretty often, knowing Alex is a compensated endorser.

Luminess Silk commercial is even worse

I find them offensive, and sometimes silly. Women simulating falls have perfectly coifed hair, dressed to be photographed, etc. They're so unrealistic.

Something more realistic would show someone who's fallen while in PJs, or in the bathtub, or painfully sprawled on the floor or on a set of stairs. But that would make potential purchasers cringe.

I do think the devices are invaluable though, cellphone age notwithstanding. A senior in need should have something with immediate and rapid response; he/she shouldn't have to turn on the phone, wait for it to load, then go through even a quick menu to call for help.

I never keep mine on or with me as I use it only rarely; it's in a case in my purse, except when I garden, just in case I tangle with an aggressive tree.

In addition, the providers of the alerts can also provide the often necessary service of notifying first responders and family, while someone laying on the floor in pain doesn't always have that presence of mind.

Megwin, actually most seniors don’t keep their cellphone glued to their hip. Which is why these devices come in handy. If your phone isn’t on you when you fall, it’s useless.

Need, those commercials bother me, too.  I get upset, and can't watch them.  I know they're selling a helpful product, but wish they'd find a way to do it that doesn't bring back memories or cause more worry.

It's disheartening to me that there aren't more commercials for products to help seniors that not only cater to their physical needs, but their love for whatever lovely things they recall, and their emotional needs, too.

I do think those commercials are somewhat stupid, especially in the age of cell phones. Your cellphone is next to your body most of the time. I personally had one of those necklaces three years ago. I was on a heavy dose of pain meds and kept constantly falling and breaking bones. The very last episode was when I finally fell flat on my face and broke my nose. There was blood everywhere and I actually laughed. How can someone fall flat on their face and not brace themselves with their arms and hands? Well anyway - I do not even remember now if I used that device or my cellphone. Help arrived and I was carried off. I paid over fifty dollars a month for that button. The ambulance did not arrive any quicker.

My pain meds were decreased after that incident. I no longer fall every time I get up, but my fear has stayed and actually gotten worse. Yet when I see that commercial I think it makes elderly people look sort of stupid and whiney. I am a former nurse (once a nurse always a nurse as the saying goes), but I do not believe I have ever sounded like those people on my TV that fell on the floor, in the tub, or in the park. Yes - I am very aware of the falls that happen where no one finds them for three days or more - and yes - that is terrible. Still, do aging cause you to whine like that? There are many reasons of falling, and it is often hard to prevent them - but if you are not totally passed out after the fall, you should really sound more matter of fact. Nothing can be changed - the consequences of falling remain the same.

Mid,
Hahaha, my mom did the same thing! She couldn’t carry on a conversation with them over the device. Yes! She would place the device on the back of the toilet because she didn’t want it to get wet! I had to tell her to leave it on before I bathed her in the shower.

Oh---the DEVICES and support system worked great. It was the HUMAN factor that failed.

Neither mom could make their voice heard to the dispatcher. Nobody on the call list answered their phones. So, EMT's are called.

With brother's home--he has his 4 adult (over 21) daughters still living at home and he and his wife and the girls keep ridiculous hours, nobody gets up before 3 pm and then they are up half the night. I don't think I have gone to mother's in years before noon and somebody was up and moving. YB took my key to the house in fit of pique, but then put me 2nd on the call list, Talk about crazy. I'm not on the call list at all now, but I can get to her house within 5 minutes.

My own sweet grandma put HER life alert on the bathroom vanity and got into a nice hot tub. Had a minor stroke, and couldn't get up to hit the alert button. She was in that bathtub for 2 DAYS until my mom called me and said she couldn't get hold of GG, had I heard from her. I said no and immediately called 911.

So--I have personal reasons for not placing a lot of trust in those things.

Jules,

Some of the commercials are so ridiculous. Years ago I dated a guy whose father was in marketing. He said the average ad was targeted to the intelligence of a 12 year old. I believe it. Sounds about right. Sad, huh?

I am appalled with those commercials. Shame on them. Nobody should give their business to those creeps

Freqflyer,

They do show the same ads a bazillion times a day. Yes, medication ads too. Advertising is expensive! My neighbor across the street is a pharmaceutical sales rep. Oh my gosh, she does very well. Drugs are a huge business!

The ads I hate have to do with breast cancer. Earth to Madison Avenue, there are patients who are NOT running around with a lot of energy, happy, and smiling. There are side effects to these meds that make you want to hide from the world.

And I don't want to be reminded for my ordeal a half dozen times a day. For ten years I've been trying to get into my new normal, and these ads are not helpful.

Take those ads, along with the other pill ads , and use those multi-millions to pay for research and development. I bet 99% of the people don't even remember the names of the meds.

Siouxann,

Yeah, the one with the woman dancing wearing the poise pads or whatever brand it is. I agree, sassy, modern and cute.

Wait, what about the stupid one encouraging us to order online so we won’t be embarrassed to buy the items in a drugstore. Hahaha.

Want to hear something funny? One time I was exhausted, hubby called and wanted to know if I needed anything from the store and I sent him a pic of mom’s poise pads and depends diapers. Oh my gosh! My mother had a fit! She blew a rod because I allowed a man to purchase that. Please! My husband bought tampons for me and our two daughters! He didn’t care.

You know, I was always concerned about mom’s feelings and did everything to make her comfortable. But there comes a time when we give and give and give until we are exhausted!

Daddy helped her with things and that was fine. But oh, I was supposed to be super duper woman and do it all! That’s nonsense and I finally woke up.

Sunny,

The commercial promising that people don’t ever have to leave home may be for the stairlift.

I think stairlifts are good. I have known people who have them. I have seen them using them. They are quite slow but I guess they can’t be speedy! They are transporting the elderly.

Still, there comes a time that some people shouldn’t be living at home anymore and a facility with a staff is the best choice.

Tacy,

I don’t mean to laugh or make fun of anyone’s weight but you are so right! We had a caregiver from an agency that was super obese. Mom was afraid of her bathing her. I was too. She seriously could barely manage. I did the majority of the work because this woman was too obese to put mom’s compression stockings on. Everything made her out of breath! She was no help to us. I hated to complain to the agency but I had to when she couldn’t do any of the work properly.

I don’t know how they fit in a car to drive. How do they do it? Their stomach is so big. How do they fit comfortably? They have to have the seat pushed all the way back. Good thing she was tall and her arms and legs could reach to drive the car.

Dolly,

Tracker, that’s interesting because we have had a few escapes from residents living in assisted living near me. Thank God, they weren’t harmed but they could have been.

There is a daycare that closed for the same reason. They didn’t notify the family. It was a bad situation.

Jada,

Yes, the telephone solicitations are out of hand. I don’t answer any number that I don’t know. I have a bazillion numbers blocked and like you say they even use local numbers to try and trick us.

Lealonnie,

Hahaha. I want one of those robot vacuums! Love your style! And your great suggestions.

Unfortunately, I still do vacuum. It’s like Elaine expressed though. She read me well. I am not having a panic attack. Bad memories, you bet.

If I am in the same room when the commercials come on I can mute the television.

You know how those stupid commercials run. They play the same ones over and over! So you can’t help but see them. So overdone. That’s marketing for you. They are working hard to convince us of what they want to sell. Look at toy commercials for kids! Or the cereal commercials that came on during their cartoons. This is why I would put on PBS shows for my kids. Better shows and none of the commercials. I watch PBS a lot for myself too.

I have severe tinnitus and so I always have the television or music on regularly to drown out the ringing in my ears. I’ve had it since my 20’s. My doctor told me that I went to too many loud rock concerts as a teen.

I’m not always watching the television. But they broadcast the commercials mega loud. So you can’t help but hear them even if you walk off to get water in the kitchen or go to the bathroom, etc.

Wait, I have a funny story about those Rumbas. My husband’s friend at work got one. He also just got a little puppy that wasn’t quite house trained. Well, he programmed the vacuum, went to work, his puppy had an accident, he had dog poop smeared all over his house when he got home! Can you imagine? LOL

Mid,

We had so much trouble with those devices I had to cancel the service. I suppose some companies are better. We had the Humana. Oh my gosh, there was a delay in answering. Once I told the person who picked up that I had to call 911 myself. Plus mom couldn’t hear through the device so it was not useful for us. For some, I suppose they are. But things don’t always want like they do on a commercial!

hahaha, very hard not to see commercials these days! They play a bazillion of them. Sometimes I record shows and fast forward through the commercials because they take up so much time. Seems like half the show are the commercials!

Sunny,

Yes, thanks for expressing it better than I did. They are manipulative commercials. Trying to persuade vulnerable seniors and it just bugs me.

Sendhelp says, "Stop watching the commercial, and get up to vacuum the floors. imo." Please do not do that, under any circumstances!!! Vacuuming is like ironing.........obsolete these days if you buy a Roomba! LOL.

Take a yoga class instead. Eat some chocolate. Go buy a luxury purse. Meet a friend for coffee.

Just do NOT 'vacuum the floors', k? :)

Send,

I am not having a panic attack. Was just curious if others have ever been annoyed by the marketing hype. It just seems overdone to me. Not realistic. But I guess most marketing is handled this way.

It’s that alarmist mentality that I don’t care for. I see it in our local weather forecasters. Some are very good, matter of fact reports. Others, oh my word, they are alarmists and it gets under my skin.

It’s psychology. When I managed a retail store and a few items did not sell I would place a sign up that said, “Sale! Buy one get one free.” I would only reduce the price slightly but the items would then sell quickly. People don’t want to miss a sale!

I don’t beat myself up. I have bad memories but that is natural. I don’t obsess. I have passing thoughts like anyone else does. I am relieved not to be mom’s caregiver anymore. Whatever happens, happens.

I gave up the responsibility of being caregiver and I made the right decision. That doesn’t mean that I don’t care but I have accepted that I don’t have a healthy relationship with mom. But even when she lived here it was a struggle.

She wasn’t one to cooperate or compromise. She felt a need to control. My brother is retired law enforcement so it’s perfect for him! Let him control her. He controlled people in his profession. Plus, she won’t fight him as an authority. He’s an important man! My mom was quite sexists. Many in that generation were.

Thank God it’s no longer my problem. Thank God for this forum who helped so much. Thank God for my therapist. Most of all, thank God for my husband and daughters.

Thanks for your responses. Whew! Glad that I am not the only one annoyed by these marketing ploys.

I’m REALLY IRRITATED by the ads that imply that it’s easy to hire a beautiful vivacious literate aide who is a great cook speaks any language fluently LOVES anyone over 90 who has gray hair loves to change diapers and clean up messes has waited her who.e life to button your 97 year old dad’s shirt buttons and listen to him talk about his late wife etcetcetcetcetc

NOTHING, NOTHING AT ALL IS EVER EVEN REMOTELY like how it looks in those tv ads.

Lets have just a LITTLE truth in advertising, PLEASE!!