Old folks in-home personal alarm system?

[shrtrnd]

My parents are getting up there in years. My mom fell in her bathroom on one side of the house at 3 am and couldn't get up. My dad couldn't hear her calling for help until he woke up himself at 5am on the other side of the house.
I'm seaching for a (I think) simple wireless 'alarm'. Something that one of them in trouble could push a button to notify
the other one that they need help. I'm hoping for something for just in-home use.
A light and/or alarm (or a couple of them), that would be triggered by one of several remote push-buttons that could be
placed around the house.
It seems like something that other people would need, I just can't hit on the correct Google search term to look for vendors
who sell such a system.
They wouldn't want one that calls over a phone-line to someone else, just something that each of them could trip to tell
the other one that they need help in the event of an accident.
Anybody ever see something like that commercailly available?
Thanks

 

[Gryd3]

My parents are getting up there in years. My mom fell in her bathroom on one side of the house at 3 am and couldn't get up. My dad couldn't hear her calling for help until he woke up himself at 5am on the other side of the house.
I'm seaching for a (I think) simple wireless 'alarm'. Something that one of them in trouble could push a button to notify
the other one that they need help. I'm hoping for something for just in-home use.
A light and/or alarm (or a couple of them), that would be triggered by one of several remote push-buttons that could be
placed around the house.
It seems like something that other people would need, I just can't hit on the correct Google search term to look for vendors
who sell such a system.
They wouldn't want one that calls over a phone-line to someone else, just something that each of them could trip to tell
the other one that they need help in the event of an accident.
Anybody ever see something like that commercailly available?
Thanks

The only ones I have see commercially available are usually connected to a call center and intended for those living alone... If something is built, you will want to ensure reliability as well as range, and the need to make it water-proof. There is however lots of modules and components that can be used to serve such a purpose.

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

We found a product from Uniden for my mother. It has a "pendant" that you wear around your neck (or on your arm) with a HELP button on it, that works with a Uniden cordless phone base. This is how it works.

When she holds the button for a few seconds, it starts the emergency procedure. She can cancel it by holding the button for a few seconds again, if she pressed it by mistake.

First the base calls the internal cordless phone. If that doesn't get answered, it calls up to five user-programmable numbers, then starts again.

For each number, it plays a message that you have pre-recorded. For us, it's my mother giving her name and address and saying that she needs help, and telling you to press # if you are going to accept the call.

If the recipient doesn't press # after a couple of minutes, the base moves to the next number in sequence. If the recipient does press #, they can talk to my mother, through the pendant, which works as a hands-free cordless phone.

She has it programmed to call my landline, then my cellphone, then my partner's landline, then a friend, then the emergency number, which is 111 here. You're not supposed to call 111 automatically but we've set it only as a last resort.

The price is reasonable - less than twice the cost of a typical digital cordless phone and base, and it includes a phone and base along with the pendant.

Needless to say, when I discovered this product, my first thought was that it was perfect for our needs. My second thought was that it's going to put a lot of those expensive medical monitoring companies out of business.

It doesn't seem to be available on the US site. Perhaps the medical alarm companies have succeeded in keeping it off the market somehow.

Here's a promotional video:

 

[shrtrnd]

Yeah, everything I've seen in stores locally are tied into a commercail vendor, selling monthly service. My parents won't go for that.
What I'm looking for is an in-house (THEIR house), notification system.
KrisBlueNZ probably nailed the dilemma, big companies ensuring their systems only are market available. Tied to thier services.
Some facilities here have a hard-wire system installed in them. Press a button or pull a chain, and a signal light or buzzer is activated.
I'm looking for something similar in a wireless, easy add-on system.
So far, it looks like wireless intercom systems are my best best. If necessary, I may be able to find one that can be modified to trip a relay, to signal an alarm for help.
My parents aren't invalids yet, and scorn any idea of using anything that looks like hadicap help to them. As time goes by they'll have to accept the inevitable.
For now though, I just need to come up with something that one of them can call the other one for help with, if something like this happens again. (Within their own house)
Thanks for the ideas.

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

KrisBlueNZ probably nailed the dilemma, big companies ensuring their systems only are market available. Tied to thier services.

Yeah, but in a fair and open market, what power would those medical emergency monitoring companies have over a technology products company like Uniden? As far as I can see, the only reason why Uniden would decline to compete with those companies would be if those companies paid them more than they would make from selling their product! I don't understand.

The other option we considered was a simple cellphone, with an elastic lanyard, worn around the neck. The simple ones can often be programmed to call specific numbers if the buttons are held down, but I think you'd still need to be with-it enough to unlock the thing, and that may or may not be the case if the person is hurt, or easily confused.

How about one of those little UHF data transmitters? I've never used them but I think they have a reasonable range. Perhaps they need an antenna? Anyone?

 

[shrtrnd]

I don't know it is on your side of the globe, but everybody is sue-happy here. The lawsuit would go something like this: the elderly client did not realize when she purchased the product, that it would not notify emergency service
providers outside of her own home. End of company providing the product. I think that's why there are so few entrepreneurs here in the States nowadays. Or some law saying that an emergency button has to notify an emergency provider, ...something screwy like that.
I'll check into the UHF data transmitter idea. My folks are not techies. If you don't press a button or pull a switch, they won't have any idea what to do with it. You should hear the stories from my siblings who tried to explain using
emails to keep in touch. Right now I just want to figure-out a way for them to contact one another inside their big house, if one of them has a problem and want immediate assistance. A 'panic' button in the far-flung bathrooms, that
would trip a light/buzzer when the other spouse is sitting in the living room, glued to the boob-tube.
Thanks for the additional idea to check.

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

Or some law saying that an emergency button has to notify an emergency provider, ...something screwy like that.

Yes, that sounds more likely to me.

My folks are not techies. If you don't press a button or pull a switch, they won't have any idea what to do with it.

My mother is not that bad, but she sometimes gets confused and we wanted to make sure it was very simple to activate.

I think there is a good market niche for a product with those features. A compact cellphone with a few big colour-coded buttons that call pre-programmed numbers for emergencies, handsfree operation with a LOUD speaker, and an always-enabled GPS receiver for those who are mobile and tend to wander. I'm a bit surprised that no manufacturer has created something like that. It wouldn't be a huge seller but there would be steady demand, I think.

 

[shrtrnd]

The parents aren't invalids yet. They'll only accept something that would help them notify one, of the other's need for help on the other side of a big house.
I believe the problem is that the Gov't here subsidizes elderly care items, and those products are geared for a single elderly person calling for outside help.
Their situation is that they intend for the present, to take care of each other, with no outside help.
I'll be looking into things that one would find in an old-folks home. Where a resident would press a button to call for a nurse at a station down the hall.
(Most of those are permanent hard-wired systems).
Thanks for the ideas.

 

[donkey]

ok my 2 cents worth, simply get a personal alarm
http://www.geekalerts.com/personal-alarm/this doesn't have any wireless thingy on it, but at 120db you can hear it over a long distance. it comes with a nice neck strap and makes both finding the person and knowing they are in trouble so much easier.
also having an intercom system put through the house might be a good idea, one in the toilets, bathroom etc. sometimes that screacher is very loud.
also there are many apps for smartphones using wifi to connect, set this up with a ringer and you got the job done. seriously I can think of about 5 different ways to do this but my main concern is offering you a device that does more harm than good, perfect example is giving them something that screeches so loud it sets their poor hearts off.

 

[shrtrnd]

That IS the most logical, practical solution.
Unfortunately, I am dealing with the human factor here. Two people who can still get around, and have a damnable aversion to admitting that they can't fully-function.
Having a personal alarm is tantamount to saying 'look at me, I might need help'.
I'm going with the intercom, modified for my application. (Can one of them push the 'send' button if they're flat on their back on the floor) They won't argue with me if it's
something mounted on a wall. If I get them something to wear around their neck, they'll throw it in the trash.
(And they said that I, wouldn't listen to THEM, when I was growing up)
thanks for the practical idea