Alternatives to Lifeline?

R

RhinoCan

New Member
I'm not sure where to put this post - none of the current forums really seems to fit this subject - so I hope it's okay if I put it here. Otherwise, please tell me where I should ask it.

I'm a caregiver for my mother who is 88 and still very fit and self-sufficient. She still lives in the house I grew up in. My father passed away long ago but my brother has been boarding with her ever since then so there is someone home much of the time in case she needs something.

My concern is that she has had a few falls - some unexplained - in the last few years and I want to see if some technology will help. My brother is not home all the time and mom sometimes goes out by herself to get something from the mall that is a few blocks away. She walks to the stores and has no walker or scooter or even a cane because she never really seems to need one. I worry that she will fall in the house when my brother is not home or will fall when she is going to the stores. I'd like to find some way for her to summon help so we were thinking about subscribing to a service like Lifeline.

I have the strong impression that Lifeline only works within the house or perhaps on the yard around the house; it appears to be a wireless device using your phone line or the internet to let you push the button to get help. That means it only helps while she's in the house or yard (it's a small single family house). That doesn't help if she is halfway to the mall and falls.

Is anyone aware of a service like Lifeline that works EVERYWHERE, not just in the house? Something based on cell service would probably be ideal.

I realize she could just get a cell phone but one of the things I like about Lifeline - according to their website - they can detect that she has fallen even if she doesn't push the button. I really like the sound of that (although I'm not actually sure that it works well!). The other problem is that I want something that she can use which is SIMPLE to operate. If she's fallen and is in pain and needs immediate help, I'd like her to be able to summon help very quickly and easily. We have snowy winters and I don't want to think about her trying to find the On button for the cell phone, push the slider that prevents pocket-dialing, click on the Phone icon, tap in 911 on the keypad, and then press the call button, then hold the phone in the exact right position so that she can hear and be heard, while wearing mittens or gloves as she lies on the cold ground in pain. There's got to be a better way.

If there is a company that gives you a single button to push and operates on cell frequencies, this would probably be ideal. Otherwise, I'm going to have to try to talk her out of leaving the house when my brother is not home and I know she's not going to like that at all. She's still very independent and very fit for her age.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me on how to handle this?
 

I can't help Rhino, but I'm going to bump this thread up to the top in the hope that some of our Canadian and American members will see it and perhaps have some advice for you..
 
hollydolly said:
I can't help Rhino, but I'm going to bump this thread up to the top in the hope that some of our Canadian and American members will see it and perhaps have some advice for you..
Click to expand...

Much appreciated, Holly!
 

A few weeks ago, she Skyped me and mentioned that she was thinking of getting a walker. Her friend, who lives a few doors down, had one and apparently liked it. Mom tried Berniece's walker and found it quite easy to get along with. I thought she was going to buy it right away. Today, when we spoke, it seemed she had soured on the idea. She was dismissing it as something that people were buying because they thought it looked cool or something.

That reasoning doesn't make much sense to me. I can't imagine anyone being very keen on getting a walker. Having a device inevitably makes you seem like your body is failing you. Who would WANT to advertise their vulnerability or declining faculties that way? I think there is something else going on. I'll try to wiggle that out of her when I see her in a few days then help her get the walker.
 
That's a great suggestion, Lon! I've never heard of them but I just googled and found their website. It looks like a very good solution except for one thing: I'm in Canada and they don't seem to operate here.

But that's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of to let her stay independent.
 
RhinoCan said:
That's a great suggestion, Lon! I've never heard of them but I just googled and found their website. It looks like a very good solution except for one thing: I'm in Canada and they don't seem to operate here.

But that's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of to let her stay independent.
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Then, why not contact them anyway and ask them if there is a known Canadian company offering the same service. Just an idea.
 
oldman said:
Then, why not contact them anyway and ask them if there is a known Canadian company offering the same service. Just an idea.
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Good suggestion. They must have been asked this question before. Maybe they will know of a Canadian equivalent, although I think it's more likely they'll just say they have no idea what's happening in Canada. Still, it can't hurt to ask.
 
I've contacted Jitterbug and they did NOT know of a Canadian company offering the same or similar service. Jitterbug does not operate in Canada themselves and uses Verizon cell towers - Verizon doesn't operate in Canada - so I can't use them either.

Thanks to Lon for suggesting Jitterbug and oldman for suggesting I call them anyway; it was a dead end but it might have turned out differently so I'm glad I called just to be sure.
 
It's been a couple of weeks since I started this thread and I've learned a few things in the meantime. I just want to update it with some things I've learned that might be of use to other people.

I've spoken to the Lifeline people and confirmed that their service is designed for use in the home; essentially, their panic button pendant or wrist unit has a range of 300 feet. When they come to install it, they verify that it WILL work in every room in the house. It may also cover the yard, or at least part of it, depending on the size of the lot. It uses a regular land-line telephone and you do NOT require internet service for it to work.

Since my mother is still quite mobile, I asked if they had any service that would cover my mother when she walks to the stores, about 15 to 20 minutes away. I was VERY pleasantly surprised to hear that they will be rolling out a new service that works based on cell towers in the next few weeks. They are still finalizing prices and the details of the service so I don't know that information yet. However, I'm on a list to be contacted with the details when they are finalized. If I think of it, I will post them here. Obviously, the new service won't be useful to those who live in areas without cell coverage but, happily, my mother is not in that category.

Lifeline's service in Canada comes at two price points. If you have the "standard" service, you get a pendant or wrist bracelet with a button that you have to push to summon help; that costs $42/month. If you want the more advanced service that can detect a fall and summon help even if you don't push the button, that costs $57/month. There is no contract to sign and you can cancel any time.

Most customers will have one of their representatives come into your home, explain the service, install it, set it up, and test it. There is a one-time charge of $89.95 for that. If you prefer to install it yourself, you can but you still need to pay to have the package shipped to you; I was quoted a price of $35 or $40 for that. I was also offered a promo code for free installation which I can use when/if we decide to go ahead.

I strongly expect we WILL proceed with getting Lifeline; we just have to work out a few details first. I certainly expect to gain some peace of mind as does my mother.
 
I spoke to the Lifeline representative about that and he stressed that the fall-detection mechanism was NOT 100% reliable - he said it was accurate about 95% of the time - but that it was very sophisticated and would not mistake you bending down to picking something up or tying your shoelaces with a fall. He said there was some very advanced software being used to distinguish a fall from other motions. I doubt they would tell a customer much more than that for fear that any details might make their way to a competitor.

The other thing he mentioned was that the automatic fall detection only worked reliably in the pendant so it was not available in a wristband model.
 
Another option for some people is the FreedomAlert device. There is no monthly fees and you can program it to call people you want it to call or to call 911 and it works too. This company has other services that might be what you're looking for also. Their web site is: http://www.logicmark.com
 
I'm in Canada but from the testimonials I see on the FreedomAlert website, it appears that they only serve the USA. I believe Lifeline's Canadian operation has Canadian competitors but I've been unable to determine who they are.
 

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