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I need a "life line" system where my mom can push a button if she falls and gets hurt.

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I researched this issue well before making a selection. I contacted companies that advertise in AARP publications, as well as those that sent solicitations to my father. Google was another source for locating companies in our area that provided the services.

First dismissal was of the ones, especially those that advertised in senior publications, which asked for name, phone and address. I in turn asked them for information according to the checklist I had developed. I was advised that they send out brochures, but the folks who answered the call lines didn't respond to specific inquiries about the products. They got crossed off the list.

Some of the local ones weren't much better; one didn't respond to my call for 2 days. Another cross off my list.

Eventually I settled with Guardian, a Michigan company which also provides security alarms systems for homes. Their rep was the only one who didn't try to convince me with a prepared sales pitch but answered my questions honestly, especially about the limitations of GPS wander management. That conversation lasted about 45 minutes, and all my questions were answered.

Others I talked to about GPS wander management lauded its virtues; they didn't tell me what the Guardian rep did, that the GPS technology was still being tweaked for wander management. When I probed about the limitations, the sales rep might falter, or enthusiastically reaffirm its virtues, avoiding all the candor I had gotten from Guardian. I appreciated Guardian's honesty.

BTW, I understand that wander management technology has improved since the time when we purchased the services.

We went with Guardian and haven't regretted it. If my father leans over to pick up something off the floor, the sensor in his alert pendant monitors that change in physical aspect and within a few seconds he's been paged on the monitor. Since they're local, I have no trouble getting through to them if I have questions.

I'm "first responder", with the fire department second.

They even contacted me when they couldn't reach Dad one day. The staffer said they heard singing in the background but Dad wasn't answering. He was actually in church, had bent over either sitting down or getting up, and the monitor activated with a possible fall alert.

I have no regrets about going with Guardian and highly recommend them. However, I don't know if they're available outside of Michigan. You might contact local home security alarm companies to see if they offer that service.


What I would also recommend is purchasing a lock box for the exterior of the house. There are 2 kinds of attachment mechanisms - 1 has a loop which fits over the door knob and the other is attached directly to the exterior of the house.

My Dad, being a woodworker, and all around handyman, studied the loop box and observed that a hacksaw could cut through it, allowing a thief to open it and get the key. So we got the box that's installed in the studs, next to the front door.

It has a 4 digit lock, the combination of which can be changed at any time. I give the combination to EMS when I call so they can get in before I get there as I'm some ways away.
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Sorry...I'm a newbie....just saw the same question below. Thanks!
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