"Panic button" for elderly person

R

ros_b

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Messages
792
Reaction score
143
Location
Johannesburg
Hi. Can anyone recommend a "panic button" type device for an elderly person living alone? I've found mySos and MyLifeline. Wondering if there are others and which ones people recommend.
Thanks.
 
Vodacom's got those tracker/sos watches on a monthly deal
 
We got a very good reaction company, putting a alarm remote on them will work, you need response.
Know a lady in bloem who had one, left it in the house , went out to the garden, and was murdered.
 
Thanks all. Perhaps "panic button" was the wrong terminology - it's not her personal safety from an external threat that I'm concerned about. It's if she falls and doesn't have her cellphone within reach, or something happens that she can't physically use her cellphone. The other night she started shivering uncontrollably and couldn't steady her fingers enough to use her cellphone. Then she collapsed when getting off the toilet and hadn't taken her cellphone with her into the bathroom. She had to spend the night on the bathroom floor until the domestic worker came in the next morning.
 
ros_b said:
Thanks all. Perhaps "panic button" was the wrong terminology - it's not her personal safety from an external threat that I'm concerned about. It's if she falls and doesn't have her cellphone within reach, or something happens that she can't physically use her cellphone. The other night she started shivering uncontrollably and couldn't steady her fingers enough to use her cellphone. Then she collapsed when getting off the toilet and hadn't taken her cellphone with her into the bathroom. She had to spend the night on the bathroom floor until the domestic worker came in the next morning.
Click to expand...
The watch is a good option then
 
While a panic device is good, you also need something that will let you know automatically when they are incapacitated. A panic device can't provide that.

To this end, I suggest a dead man's switch - if you don't know what it means: the concept is really simple. It's a device that either manually, or automatically waits for an input and if the input is not received within x minutes, an alarm alert is raised, either via GSM, or Wifi, etc.
 
Of course we don't know the circumstances, or what alternatives there are, but has an assessment been made as to whether this person is fit enough to be living alone?
 
Apple Watch has fall detection and the cellular version doesn’t need to be connected to a phone which helps with range. The nice bonus is the HR monitoring which is useful for diagnosing cardiac cases (historic data is gold) sometimes (not as good as the medical device thing but gives insight where none would be available).

Not sure if fall detection works in SA.. but that’s useful. I’d still go with a mySOS button thing for assistance too though.

PS. Apple and family stuff is a bit of a hit and miss especially with sharing data. ie personal data, like health, remains that even though in some cases it makes sense to share it like with kids or old parents to primary managing parent/kid. Most frustrating is the picture stuff.
 
Namola seems to have discontinued the Panic Tracker (their website). Was on the point of buying one for a loved one who cannot use a smartphone in an emergency.

mySOS uses a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone, making it unsuitable. MyLifeline seems to be tailored to corporate clients. Does anyone have a suggestion for an alternative?
 
8321 said:
Namola seems to have discontinued the Panic Tracker (their website). Was on the point of buying one for a loved one who cannot use a smartphone in an emergency.

mySOS uses a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone, making it unsuitable. MyLifeline seems to be tailored to corporate clients. Does anyone have a suggestion for an alternative?
Click to expand...
A care agency recommended this for my parents, didn't end up using it as they moved to a retirement village with the support already. May be worth checking out.

https://aidcall.co.za/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X