How Do Medical Alert Systems Work?

Have you ever experienced calling for an emergency, and it took the respondents a while to arrive? To avoid situations like this, a lot of people purchase a Medical Alert System. A medical Alert System is a direct call to the emergency personnel responsible for answering your request for help. But how medical alert systems work? The answer to this question depends on the alert system that you will purchase. This kind of device is useful for people with medical conditions. Also, it is highly helpful for senior citizens who are living alone.

A medical alert system is useful for every household since we can’t predict when an emergency will happen. Having one on standby can help save your life. 

Understanding Car Batteries

An average car has a 12v battery to help start the engine, play the radio, turn the lights and air conditioner on. And a car battery can last up to five years of regular usage. Car batteries can last long if you don’t leave anything on for hours. For example, you forgot to switch off the headlights and left it overnight. It can drain the juice in the car battery, forcing you to remove from the hood and recharge it manually. And do dash cameras drain battery of your car? The answer is yes. Because it gathers energy from the car battery, if you park your car for long hours, leaving your dash camera on, it will slowly drain your car battery.

What is a Medical Alert System

Leaving your dash camera on while it is getting its power source from the cigarette lighter outlet can drain the battery of your car. Even though it consumes a small amount of energy, leaving it for a long time can slowly consume a considerable amount of energy from the battery. But do dash cameras drain battery of your car all the time? It depends on how long you leave your car while the dash camera is running. If you leave it for a few minutes, your car battery will be fine. But if you leave it overnight, expect that your car battery will be weak.

A Medical Alert System is a device used as an emergency monitor for a vulnerable person. How medical alert systems work can help senior citizens and persons with illness. With a simple push of a button, their family members, caregivers, and medical personnel will know if they require immediate help.

How Medical Alert Systems Work?

A Medical Alert System has a two-way communication where the user can talk to a call center agent. The agent will access all the medical history and the location of the caller. After that, the agent will call the neighbor, family member, or nearby emergency service vehicle. 

Benefits of a Medical Alert System

The health and safety of our family is the first thing that we consider, especially for the elders. There are times when they don’t know what to do in case they need immediate medical attention. And this is the reason why having a medical alert system can help them whenever they are in need. Here is a list of the benefits of a medical alert system.

1. Gives you peace of mind
   If you are worried about a loved one who is currently living alone, this device can give you peace of mind because you know that they have a tool that can immediately call for help. This is especially helpful for our elderly family members who are vulnerable and often living a life without too much technology. 
   
2.  Instant help
   When you call for an ambulance from a hospital, they will sometimes ask too many questions before they dispatch an ambulance to rescue you. But with the medical alert system, you don’t need to explain much. Instead, they will automatically access your medical history and send the message to your loved ones or a nearby emergency response vehicle. 
   
3. Ease of usage
   How does a medical alert system work? This device is one of the most useful things to use when it comes to an emergency call for help. With a simple push of the button, the system will do its job by alerting your family members and the people responsible for taking care of their immediate medical needs. This device comes with a separate button, which you can use as a pendant.  So, wherever you go, you can quickly call for help when you need it.
   
4. Sends additional alerts
   Besides sending help to your family members, some medical alert systems can also be programmed to send a signal to other emergency response systems depending on the emergency situation.

How to Choose a Medical Alert System

There are different kinds of medical alert systems for you to choose from in the market. The price depends on the feature that you want your device to have. This is why you will need to do a little research on what kind of medical alert system features you want to have for yourself or your loved one.

1. Home-Based or Cellular Medical Alert System

There are two types of medical alert systems: home-based medical alert system and the cellular medical alert system.  

• Home-Based Medical Alert System – It is a system where the base unit is connected to your landline, and it comes with an emergency button that you can carry around whenever you are doing chores around the house.
  
• Cellular Medical Alert system – How do cellular medical alert systems work? This kind of system is connected to your phone, where you can call for an emergency whenever you need it even if you are not in your house. However, the thing about the mobile medical alert system is that you can’t speak to the operator. Instead, they will locate your GPS location and find where you are and rescue you. This is also helpful if you are lost or had an accident. 

2. Monitored System or Not?

• A monitored medical alert system connects you to a 24/7 emergency response call, and this comes with an additional monthly fee on top of paying for the device. And the one that doesn’t have this feature allows you only to call whoever is in your emergency call list, but you will no longer have to pay any monthly subscription. You will only have to pay for the device itself and set it up in your home or the house of your loved one.

3. Fall Detection Feature

• How medical alert systems work also comes with a fall detection feature. The device will send out a call if it detects a fall within your home.  However, this requires an additional monthly subscription.