AMARILLO – With more older adults choosing to “age in place,” selection of a personal alarm system that may help further independent living should be given careful consideration, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist said.
Aging in place is when individuals choose to remain in their home as they grow older, rather than move to a care facility, said Andrew Crocker, AgriLife Extension gerontology specialist.
“But questions of ‘what if’ may begin to loom with such a decision,” Crocker said. “What if I fall? What if I need help? What if I cannot make it to the phone?”
There are many types of personal emergency response systems that may help provide security and comfort in the decision, he said.
According to the Texas Health and Safety Code, a personal emergency response system is “an alarm system installed in a residence; monitored by an alarm company; designed to signal a medical or personal emergency so that the company may dispatch appropriate aid; and not part of a combination of alarm systems that include a burglar or fire alarm.”
The system includes a transmitter carried by the user or worn on a neck pendant or wristband, a receiver connected to the user’s telephone and the alarm company’s monitoring center, Crocker said.
In an emergency, a button is pressed on the transmitter which sends a radio signal to the receiver, he said. The receiver dials an emergency number, usually the monitoring center. The monitoring center will then call the user and send appropriate emergency services, depending on the situation.
There may be some variation depending on the provider and its product, Crocker said.
When it comes to monitoring centers, there are two basic types: provider-based and manufacturer-based. Provider-based centers usually are located in the user’s local area and are operated by hospitals or social service agencies. Manufacturer-based operations usually have a national center.
“A typical Internet search will bring up only the national companies,” Crocker said. “Adding a town, county or state to your search may help you find local options.”
Sometimes, users who purchase systems may choose between provider-based and manufacturer-based centers, but users who rent or lease systems may have to use a national center, he said.
Centers vary in the level of training and back-up given to personnel, the amount of information maintained on each user, the procedures used when an emergency call is received and the type and frequency of system testing, Crocker said.
The purchase price for a system may range from $200 to more than $1,000, depending on the manufacturer, features and the seller’s integrity, he said. In addition to the initial investment, most systems require that the user pay a monthly monitoring fee which can range from $15 to $50.
Presently, neither Medicare nor Medicaid will cover the costs of a personal emergency response system, nor will most private insurance policies. It may be possible, however, for low-income persons in some areas to obtain a system at a subsidized rate from local agencies, Crocker said.
Many consumer groups strongly recommend that consumers rent or lease a system on a short-term basis because of the possibility that any manufacturer may go out of business, taking its monitoring center with it and leaving the consumer with a useless system, he said.
When determining need and evaluating companies, consumers must ask very specific questions and get definite answers about the various features of both the unit and the monitoring center, Crocker said.
The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following when shopping for a personal emergency response system to meet your needs:
— Check out several systems before making a decision. Determine their ease of use.
— Find out if the system is compatible with other response centers. — Ask about the pricing, features and servicing of each system, and compare costs.
— Test the system to make sure it works from every point in and around the house. Make sure nothing interferes with transmissions.
— Read purchase, rental or lease agreements carefully before signing.
The Federal Trade Commission also recommends asking some questions about the response center:
— Is the monitoring center available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
— What is the average response time?
— What kind of training does the center staff receive?
— How does the center test the system in the home, and how often are tests conducted?
In Texas, all personal emergency response system companies must be licensed with the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Before doing business with companies selling these systems, contact the health services department, the Attorney General’s office, http://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov , and the Better Business Bureau, http://www.bbb.com , to see if the company is licensed and if any complaints have been filed against it, Crocker advised.
Also get recommendations from friends, neighbors or relatives who use personal emergency response systems, he said.
Additional information can be accessed from the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro24.shtm .
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