Where to find a medical alert system without monthly payment?

What is elderly waiver?

If your mother needs a personal alarm system, why are you paying for it anyway?

RadioShack Personal Emergency Phone Dialer 49-2559R Plug N Power Pendant Alarm around $24.99.

If your mom qualifies for the Elderly Waiver, they will pay for the Life alert or whatever brand you use. You need to go to your local DHS and ask about applying.

COA suggested a company. It still is a box & pendant for about $25/month. Has to be in a central location. If no one answer within a few minutes they dispatch 911. Now we have jitterbug with Alarm*5 flip phone. My Mom can still use cell phone. If she accidentally hits that alarm button it calls her then me but that & the cell phone cost as much as the single cell phone she had plus the monitor system so I opted for jitterbug & I could port her current number. Its about $70/month. Past cell phone was $45/month & monitor was $25/month so to me it worked out about the same. I think I've seen new ads that jitterbug has that are just necklace or bracelet & unit but I don't know anything more. Great Wall.com

Contact your local Aging Access Point. They may be able to help set Mom up with a service package that includes her Alert system and the cost would be based on Mom's income.

I agree that it's not worth skimping on an alert system if the patient is at risk and/or lives alone. Mom has had frequent falls. Her system costs $51 per month, which is $38 for the basic fee and $13 extra for the upgraded pendant which detects a fall. Mom set off the alarm several times when she fell or slipped when getting out of bed to get to the bathroom during the night. The total of $51 per month is a lot less than people pay for basic cell phone service. Even though Mom has 24/7 care, we've kept the service because my brother and I will automatically be notified when there is an incident and her caretaker doesn't have to worry about notification. I visit Mom for a week or two every month, and I can go out to shop or work in the yard without worrying if Mom has a fall or other incident.

I ordered a simple alert for an aged aunt of mine from Walter Drake catalog. It is a suction cup grab bar for the shower and an alert alarm. The alarm can be removed from the grab bar and worn on an included lanyard. It's called Grip Alert on sale for $14. But it can only be heard if someone is in the same house it doesn't call anyone.

I would not recommend a cell phone. My MIL was talked into one thru her insurance company. She had to charge it every night and couldn't wear it in the shower.

I recall a previous post regarding the use of medic alerts that someone shared information on how her PD provided the alerts to vulnerable people.

Check with your fire and police department to see if they have any kind of assistance program for vulnerable adults that would provide free medic alert service.

newToMed: Are you Medicare eligible? If so, check with them, but if anything is free, it is generally considered too good to be true.

I'm curious about how your daughter's divorce increased your liabilities.

I don't think it is fair to short change your mother because your daughter's marriage fell apart. You made a commitment to take care of your mother, so do it the right way.

I agree with FF. If there's legitimacy in getting an alert pendant in the first place, you don't want to start skimping now. This isn't something to skimp on.

One of the most important aspects of having a monitoring service and a pendant is that an appropriate pendant detects a positional change, such as a fall. The monitoring service initiates a call to determine if the person has fallen or is safe but has just changed position in such a way that the pendant activated.

If the person is nonresponsive, lst, 2nd and 3rd responders are called in the order provided to the monitoring company. Lock boxes typically are used by the owner (you or your mother) in conjunction with the alerts, so that emergency responders can get in. Leaving a door open isn't wise or safe for an older person.

Ask yourself this: if your mother needs help, such as having passed out from a stroke, how is she going to be able to call 911 for help? How is anyone going to know she needs emergency assistance if she's not conscious and can't dial for help?

You need to have a pendant that provides for an unconsicous or unresponsive user. Calling 911 obviously isn't an option if you're unconscious.

I also don't understand how your daughter's divorce impacts your financial situation. If she's not able to work, she should be getting alimony from her ex.

I have what CD has. I bought the "system" for $250. One time purchase, no fees after I bought it. She wears the necklace whenever she is at home. Once a month, you push a button on the bottom to confirm the battery is OK and that the "system is OK". She can push the button and it goes to 911 here in our town. A voice comes on her phone to ask what is her emergency. She says....I have fallen and I need help getting back in my chair. I always leave her door open in her back apartment so they do not have to break in to help her back to her chair. She has fallen twice in her place since 2 years ago and all went smoothly with the necklace. (once she had to go to the hospital, and once she just needed help back to her chair, no injuries.)
Good luck finding it. I can't believe anyone would pay monthly fees. What if your loved one lives 5 more years?
This paid for itself in 10 months and now we are all set for the rest of her life.

We bought a phone with a pendant made by Vtech from Walmart for about $75 a few years ago. The pendant was really a cordless phone with two programmable buttons on it, one we programmed for 911 and the other for our phone number. But it also meant that our LO could answer the phone through the pendant as well, which was a plus as mobility was an issue. Look for Vtech's CareLine.

I bought the Freedom Alert a couple of years ago, calls 3 or 4 numbers, if no one answers, it then calls 911. You can also have it for 911 only. My mom never got the hang of it, and I moved in with her, so stopped using it. I think new it was $299. Hooks up to a landline. I have it on Craigs List.

Any cell phone even one that is not "active" can be used to call 911. The battery has to be in and the phone charged.
You could use this for your medical alert. The problem is you have to have the phone on you at all times.

newtomed, Logic Mark makes two styles of pendant that simply use the phone... one calls 911 only, one does a few numbers. One-time equipment purchase!

Do a search (Google) Medic alert system no monthly fees. You will quickly see what is available and can decide if any meet your needs.

I doubt there are any medical alert systems that are free. Since these systems are so very important, I would cut out cable TV before I could cut out an alert system.