Security Devices for Seniors
Remember the day when you got your first driver’s license and got behind the wheel to drive by yourself someplace without an adult?
Call for help!
Senior citizens feel that way when they first get an electric scooter. Anyone who doubts this has never been to the Sun City Sprouts on Double Ad Wednesday. The scooters are a’flyin’ and the seniors are delighted with the freedom a set of wheels gives them from having to try to get around on their own.
The Dilemma
If there’s one thing the young and old have in common, it’s that walking isn’t their first choice of transportation. But, they do want to get out and enjoy things. Which brings us to our dilemma: how do we provide security for the elderly, while still offering them the freedom they need to be happy?
Put a GPS on Grandpa's scooter so you can find which bar he's in.
Offer Options
While younger people embrace technology, our older family members, who sometimes don't see well, hear well, or remember details like they used to, can have a hard time with new things. So, if you decide to get Grandma a security alarm or a Ring doorbell, do so with the understanding that she might set off the alarm--and not even know it because she took her hearing aids out. Or she might not use it at all because it’s confusing. Those of us who have grown up with technology which is as natural as breathing have to remember the people we’re helping grew up when the newest technology was a push-button lock, an electric stove and a telephone with a dial and a plug.
Choices
At the same time, there are security features which can help seniors enormously. Personal security devices abound. Freedom Alert, by LogicMark, is a two-way voice pendant which will automatically dial four telephone numbers in sequence if the button is pushed without a monthly fee (beyond a landline). The family member who receives the call can dial 911 if needed while their elderly person is still on the line.
Freedom Without being Controlling
For fees starting at about $25, Grandma can get an emergency alert button to call a monitoring station for help. For under a hundred dollars, you can get a GPS tracker which will show you exactly where Dad’s scooter is located. Nanny cams and FindAFriend for cell phones and a host of other technological devices have made the offer of help within easy reach.. The secret is to figure out which of these devices, or combination of devices, make the most sense for the given situation. It could be something as simple as a cell phone, or as complicated as a button which alerts family, friends, a monitoring station and emergency personnel within the space of a few seconds.
We appreciate our seniors and the host of amazing things they’ve done to make this world a better place. We’d like to thank them by offering them the best life possible during their remaining days.
