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Posted By
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April 30, 2008, 9:10 am
Flag as Inappropriate Kathy22
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Subject
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LifeAlert service or something similar
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My grandmother, who's 84 years old, lives alone way out in the country. She's a good 20 miles from the nearest hospital in a tiny town without it's own ambulance service. She's been having problems with gout in her leg and occasionally has fallen. I've been after her to get LifeAlert service but she says it's too expensive. Does anyone know the costs of this type of service? I'm thinking that if the family chipped in, we'd be able to afford it for her and we'd all feel better about her being out there all by herself. Right now, we have a "system" where my mother and two aunts each call her throughout the day to check that she's okay.
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Comments
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April 30, 2008, 9:39 am
Flag as Inappropriate gbyrd says...
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I have heard some real bad reviews on Life Alert and similar systems. Check it out:
Some of these systems work better than others; all of them are expensive and, in many cases, the contract terms are objectionable. For example, LifeAlert customers tell us that the company holds them to the three-year contract even if the elderly individual dies before the term is up.
One idea would be to buy a children’s cell phone and have her hang it around her neck. There are only one or two buttons which are big and simple, and usually there is an emergency button as well. It usually only runs about 9 or 10 dollars a month to add an extra cell phone line.
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April 30, 2008, 3:33 pm
Flag as Inappropriate pen10 says...
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I think that would be a much cheaper way to go, but I have a question. If shes in the country, who knows how well the service will be out there (for the phone or lifealert)?
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May 1, 2008, 9:16 pm
Flag as Inappropriate purple says...
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The cell service would be impeded only by how close the nearest cell tower is and how flat and clear the land is. Most places get usable service, and often PTT and text services work on lower or no bars. They make an adult phone similar to the kids one, its often advertised in the Sunday parade magazine and American legion magazines. I'm not sure how life alert works, whether off cell service, etc but she could just as easily hang a cordless phone around her neck. They are pretty small these days too.
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