It’s a really natural question. After all, cell phones are great for calling for help in all kinds of situations, whether we need a neighbor to lend us an ingredient, our child to come dig in the garden, or the police to come.
Here’s the problem. First off, you don’t always carry your cell phone with you in your house. Second, the batteries can run out.
Let’s take these one at a time.
1. You don’t always carry your cell phone.
It’s true that your cell phone is a wonderful emergency device, if you have it with you. But do you have it with you all the time? If you’re like most people, you put down your cell phone when you’re in the house. That means you could be anywhere from several to 100 feet from your phone when you have a medical emergency. If it’s not on your body, IT WON’T DO YOU ANY GOOD. At that rate it’s like depending on your regular phone for help. Works great if you fall right next to it and can reach it without moving, but if you break your hip on the stair landing and can’t get to the phone, it’s useless.
2. Cell phone batteries can run low
Unlike a medical alert pendant, cell phone batteries are subject to constant use and often run low. When you’re recharging your batteries the phone can’t be on your person, so it’s not useful as an emergency device. Medical alert pendants are designed with batteries that last for months and months (it helps that they hardly ever have to send a signal…). That way they’re always there when you need them.
So for safety around the house, particularly if you’re an independent senior or if you’re trying to keep a parent or elderly friend safe, there’s nothing quite as effective as a medical alert system.
Oh, here’s another reason. If you get hurt, will you be able to think clearly and remember the phone numbers you want to dial? Are your fingers going to work the way you want them to? Wouldn’t it be much easier simply to press a button and know that help wil be on the way?
But the cell phone is great for situations when you’re away from your home. Medical alert devices only work in your house. When you’re out and about, nothing replaces a cell phone for ease of calling for help. Plus, you can get easy to dial models made specifically for seniors.
The statement that was mentioned in the last paragraph is very true; cell phones for seniors remain indispensable despite of the availability of medical alert system. I believe that both devices are very important to ensure the safety of the device. My mother has this both so we are relieved even though she is left alone in the house and when she’s walking all alone outside the house.
I understand that purchasing both of the said devices can be too hurting in the purse. So I advise the individuals out there who are planning to secure the two devices to do the same thing that my mum and I did. We purchased Just5 phone. This one is a very reliable phone yet it is offered at a very reasonable cost. For $119.9, an elderly can already enjoy he features of the phone, which are really substantial and fun as well. It can be taken note that the phone does not come with a contract that will lock up the consumer.
http://www.Just5.com
Looks like a great phone. Thanks for sharing this resource.
The objection about remembering numbers with cell phones obscures the important fact that with virtually any cell phone today, all a person has to do is dial 911 in an emergency–the phones even send out GPS coordinates. Plus as I understand, some of the medical alarm systems depend on your land line being up, whereas a cell phone does not.
Thanks for your comment, Greg. This blog post is getting a bit dated, so for more current articles on mobile phones and mobile medical alerts please check out the mobile medical alerts area here: https://findtherightalert.com/mobile-medical-alerts. I know of some phones that send out GPS coordinates, including the Jitterbug (https://findtherightalert.com/medical-alert-reviews/jitterbug-cell-phone-with-5star-personal-security), but I don’t know if my iPhone does that if I were to call 911. This would be worth checking for anyone who wants to use their cell phone as their emergency medical alert.