5 Reasons to love your Medical Alarm

An Introduction to Care Technology

02 Jun 2023 | Care Technology, Home Care, Independent Living, Retirement Living

As we age, it seems we find in equal parts our freedom and equal parts our limitations. It can be a delicate balance of getting out and doing the things we now have the time to enjoy, such as a cruise, a trip away, visiting friends, and drives in the country, but also being careful not to overdo the adventure with an ailment or an emergency situation. That balance might also be a case of enjoying the freedom of living peacefully in your home, but health complaints have raised questions for you or your loved ones. If either of these scenarios is familiar, then read on.

From time to time, talk of getting a medical alarm might come up in conversation with friends or family members. Whilst it might not be the most exciting topic and possibly met with hesitation initially, it can be an important inclusion in one's lifestyle that, once adopted, becomes a valued accessory that unlocks a number of lifestyle benefits.

What is Care Technology?

Medical Alarms sit under the category of Care Technology within Aged & Community Care. What is Care Technology, you ask? Well, Care Technology is a term that’s been around for a few years now. It’s a term that has come to include many things, but mostly it’s medical alarms, medical alerts and even sensors that help to get emergency help when it's needed. And nowadays, some even predict when help is needed before the call for help is requested. For the purpose of this article, we will look at medical alarms specifically or Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) as they are often referred to within the industry.

As a provider of medical alarm technology to over 10,000 Australians, at eevi, we’ve seen our fair share of those benefits. So let’s break down a few of our leading reasons to love care technology here:

1. A medical alarm gives you independence

Depending on the type of alarm you buy, a medical alarm can go with you wherever you go. To the shops, to visit friends. It can sit discreetly in your handbag or you can wear it under your clothes. A medical alarm works like on a mobile phone (only they are much more simple to use). There’s only one button to press to call for help. And if you live alone, keep the alarm on your person at all times (even in the shower), and the knowledge it’s there can provide a much greater sense of independence as you go about your day. 

One situation where a medical alarm becomes especially valuable is when someone has recently returned from the hospital and is in need of a little extra support. For those people in particular, the feeling of having the alarm close by can provide a sense of independence to more safely return to the routine of their previous lifestyle - all pending their medical practitioner's approval, of course!

old people picnic

A personal medical alarm can help to maintain a sense of independence.

2. A medical alarm gives peace of mind to family

If your loved ones (family or friends) are not within close distance of your home, it’s incredibly reassuring to have the ability to seek help at the push of a button. Knowing that you can receive assistance when they aren’t able to be there brings a great sense of peace of mind.. 

In the case of living independently in a retirement community, this is also an important inclusion in your services as it will allow the medical alarm to be the first point of call for emergency assistance. In particularly large communities, this becomes even more important where there could be multiple requests for assistance at one time.

The peace of mind that comes with having a medical alarm can be invaluable. Not just for you but also for your friends and family. Plus, you can feel free to place test calls whenever you need to see that the system you have is working just as it should, although reliable medical alarms should be self-testing all the time. So you can rest easy knowing your safety is taken care of.

3. A medical alarm connects you to a warm hello

In a moment of concern, which can happen to any of us and for any reason and be either health or safety-related, a medical alarm is a very calming inclusion in the home. That little box is connected to professionally trained call responders who are tasked to help you either feel at ease or get you to the next level of care fast.

We are proud to have a group of responders who understand the needs of our community and are experienced to be a calming voice in a moment of worry. With your medical alarm, even if you accidentally press the button or it is a false alarm, your peace of mind and well-being are our top priority and we would always rather you call us just to check- any time of the day or night.

4. A medical alarm saves precious time

Part of the onboarding process with the eevi service includes capturing key medical information about the people within our care. That means that in the event of an emergency, our team is able to call up information that can be vital to your ambulance personnel. 

Our team can communicate that succinctly and manage various other lines of communication, including speaking with family members or village managers. Importantly, that service feature allows everyone involved to focus on attending to the emergency at hand more efficiently. Our call responders will stay on the call for as long as is needed as extra support for the ambulance service if required.

5. A medical alarm connects you to help fast when you need it

And finally, on those (hopefully) rare occasions when a medical alarm is needed for a genuine emergency, it can literally be a life-saving connection. 

Our response centre is tasked to respond to a call within 60 seconds or less - we know that number is important because, in an emergency, every second counts. It might also be that on that call, you find that you’d like to have a loved one contacted on your behalf. That can also be taken care of by your response personnel. 

So there you have it. A few reasons why we love medical alarms and care technology. If you need even more reasons, below is a link to a few recent testimonials from eevi customers. If you’d like to know more about what solutions we have available, our friendly team members would be more than happy to assist you in finding something that will be suitable for your circumstances.

More from Eevi