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5 Questions You Should Ask Before Getting a Medical Alert Service

Technology is empowering older adults to stay at home safely and more connected.

Looking for an emergency response solution should provide peace of mind for everyone in the circle of care, and knowing the questions all caregivers should ask is essential.

Remember to ask every company you call all the smart questions about your purchase: Are there any hidden charges? Is there an extra monthly fee for a lockbox, or the use of the caregiving app? Will the price change or is it locked in? Is this a new or refurbished system? Is it mine to keep?

Beyond that, there are important lifestyle questions for you and your family to consider. Read the full USA Today article here for some important tips or read in full below:

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5 questions caregivers should ask about emergency response solutions

A recent study found 88% of adults in the U.S. want to age in their own homes. Over the past five years, there has also been an increase in the number of people helping their parents or an older adult age in place.

With remote home care and telehealth technology becoming more prevalent, you may have many questions about what will work best for your circle of care.

Many caregivers and their loved ones want to find a balance of freedom, support and peace of mind. Here are some things to consider about remote home care products.

1. How often do you want to check in with your parent or loved one?

Communicating with our loved ones is important at any age and great advances have been made in the ways we’re able to check in with each other.

Since launching in 2018, Aloe Care Health has introduced a more innovative approach to medical alert systems for older adults, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, they helped meet a rising need for remote home care by providing their products directly to consumers.

Tailored to specific needs and levels of care, Aloe Care Health products enable caregivers and their loved ones to stay connected, from wearables to plug-and-play setups which don’t require someone coming into your home for installation.

In addition to comprehensive safety measures, Aloe Care’s voice-activated Smart Hub makes it effortless for caregivers to check-in with elders over a crystal-clear speakerphone in the elders’ home. Caregivers simply push a button on the Aloe Care app to be connected, and the elder can answer, hands-free. Gone are the days of keeping phones charged or rushing to answer.

At home, the voice-activated Smart Hub connects to the App allowing caregivers to stay connected, receive real-time updates and make App-to-Hub calls.

2. Are there preventative steps you can take to keep your loved one safe?

When older adults live independently, it’s important to address any maintenance issues which could become hazardous, such as poorly lit rooms or wobbly steps.

Likewise, having a medical alert system in place is important for staying safe during an emergency.

Looking at what was available for home care, the team behind Aloe Care Health, who were caregivers themselves, felt the medical alert market could do more by layering in technology to help prevent emergencies before they happen.

To this end, their products have sensors and machine learning technology which can detect concerning changes in a person’s behavior or their home environments, such as temperature or air quality. The Aloe Care family app helps put caregivers, families and everyone else in the circle of care on the same page to best address any challenges before they become more serious.

3. What are your loved one’s biggest concerns?

Every individual has different needs for home care, whether it’s helping manage daily medications or monitoring for falls.

Falls are the number one cause of injury for older adults, according to the CDC. However, traditional medical alert systems are often limited to a simple help button and an emergency call center.

Along with access to a 24/7 emergency call center, Aloe Care Health takes a more advanced and holistic approach providing voice-activated call for help, among other safety features. They also offer optional, automatic fall detection.

4. How much and what kind of coverage is your remote home care providing?

Most traditional medical alert systems only provide assistance in an emergency.

In today’s world however, many caregivers need more flexibility and functionality, especially when they’re balancing full-time jobs or raising children. Aloe Care Health has features designed for everyday needs like quick check-ins.

Your parents or loved one can reach you with a one-touch connection from their Hub at home and caregiver teams can also collaborate via a secure app.

5. What are the costs for remote home care?

On average, traditional medical alert systems cost around $35-$50 per month or more and provide limited functions.

For more customized solutions, Aloe Care Health provides several scalable products and plans, starting at $25 a month, which can be set up for caregiver teams and everyone in your circle of care.

When it comes to aging in place today, there are truly modern, advanced options for providing safe and supportive home care – even from far away.

About Aloe Care Health: Aloe Care's voice-activated system is the world's most-advanced in-home medical alert and communication system for older adults. Aloe Care's patented, award-winning solution was created by caregivers, for caregivers. More than 70 percent of the team actively supports aging-in-place parents and grandparents. The company is headquartered in New York.

Susan Lietz

Chief Editor at Aloe Care

Writer, caregiver, dog-mom.

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