How Do I Know My Medical Alert Is Working?

My mom won’t stop pushing her medical life alert button, and it’s driving me nuts! She gets worried that it’s not working and pushes it “just to make sure.” Sometimes, she pushes the button on purpose, but won’t answer the call center. She says it’s to make sure they’re doing their job and calling me and first responders.

The first time the call center alerted me, I was so panicked I almost got in an accident on the way to her house! The police were already there when I arrived, and they were not pleased about the false alarm.

What can I do?

Exasperated Daughter

Dear Exasperated Daughter,

Have you considered buying her a copy of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf?”

Seriously though, this is a real problem. False alarms scare family members and waste first responders’ time. What if they’re busy at your mother’s house instead of handling real emergencies? Talk to your mother and explain how much it scares you when this happens, but listen to her too.

Here’s the real question: why is she so worried about her medical alarm pendant?

She may having some problems – with her health or neighbors – but doesn’t want to tell you.  She could be lonely, and this gets a lot of attention. Maybe there’s something about her medical alert system that makes her uncomfortable, so she thinks it might fail when she needs it most.

I never worry about my Bay Alarm Medical system.  My pendant has a 5-year battery life and fall detection. If I trip over the dog and black out, the system calls for help. I don’t have to be awake to push the button.  The system does a silent test each week, and I check it myself once a month.

If your mom is really worried about her medical alert system, maybe she just isn’t using the right system. Talk to her and find out what’s really going on here. And call us at 1-877-522-9633 with any questions. We can answer all your questions about medical alert systems.

Grumpy Grandpa