Occasionally I will see medical alarm vendors (also known as PERS) position their product as a direct alternative to professional care (at home or in a facility).  Invariably these advertisements always compare price – comparing thousands of dollars for assisted living to the relatively low cost of a panic button.  Not only are these comparisons false and misleading,  but I also believe they discredit the entire industry.

People Matter.  Professional caregivers are people. People matter.  People can assist  in feeding, toileting, bathing, dressing, and countless other ADLs/ IADLs.  People can help manage medications, notice important changes in health and interact socially with an elderly adult.  The list goes on…

But so does time. So then, if I feel so strongly that PERS is not an alternative to professional care – why would I cofound a company providing fall monitoring products and services?  Good question.  The answer is time.

And allow me to clarify.  While myHalo is technically a PERS product, it is also so much more than that.  myHalo detects falls automatically eliminating the need for a button press.  This also means that if an elderly adult cannot press the button on their own, then myHalo can do this for them.  And while it won’t ever replace a human, there is also a very valid need to send human help as quickly as possible in the event of a fall – and that is what myHalo does better than anyone else.  So unless your loved one will be watched 24/7, this is why you need a fall monitoring system.

If I have professional care, do I need fall monitoring?
Yes.  Absolutely.  I recently heard a story from some clients describing their mother’s admission to a nursing home due to falls.  After admission, their mother continued to have falls and injuries even in the facility.  One of the sons was livid that this could happen in a skilled nursing facility and blamed the facility.

This is never 100% preventable, and the facility staff can never supervise an elderly adult at all times.  So whether the facility employs this as an augment to skilled nursing staff, or the family puts this in place  on their own, I believe fall monitoring is an appropriate addition or augmentation to professional care — again not an alternative .

Stay at home as long as possible.  I do in fact believe that technology can help assist the elderly to stay at home a little longer.  In fact, many states have active nursing home diversion programs designed to keep Medicaid nursing home  residents at a minimum.  As part of these programs, many states offer grants for technology and Medicaid waivers for the use of basic PERS devices at home.

If someone has declining balance and is prone to falling, professional care may not be the only choice.  In general, if an elderly adult can still perform basic ADLs and IADLs on their own, then they are a candidate to stay at home and may not need professional care.  In these cases,  a fall monitoring solution such as myHalo might be very appropriate.

And while it may be a very appropriate solution in many cases, I am not advocating this as an alternative to professional care. A very important distinction.

Get Help In Deciding. If you are not sure, I recommend you consult a professional geriatric care manager to help make an informed  decision for your unique situation.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 12:00 AM and is filed under Halo Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.