Top Products to Make a Long Life at Home Easier- the Medical Alert

Continuing my series of the top products that make a long life at home easier, today I want to talk about one that several of you have mentioned in response to previous posts—the medical alert.

Let me start with a story about a friend’s mother, Joan, who is 84, and doing just fine for her age, but has fallen several times in the last year.  Each time it was a freak occurrence. 

Her first fall involved her 80-pound Labrador retriever, Susie. Yes the dog is not a good choice for a senior, but that’s no longer negotiable.  Susie does offer some health benefits as Joan takes her for a two-mile walk every day.

How to Help Granny Survive a Fall

I write a lot about how to modify bathrooms, the most dangerous room in the home, to prevent seniors from falling.  But seniors will still fall because with age comes a natural decline in health.

Seniors may have cognitive, balance or mobility issues.  Perhaps they have neurological problems associated with a stroke or Parkinson’s disease.  Pain from arthritis could affect how they move. Even a dangerous cocktail of medications could compromise their balance.

So here’s the scenario. Granny steps out of a warm, relaxing bath and onto the wet, slippery tiles. Her feet take on a life of their own, escaping from underneath her as she plunges to the ground, landing smack on her posterior and narrowly avoiding a broken hip.   Now what?