I just last week got one that's free too, the whole deal, but I think the town pays for it maybe. I didn't even ask, the home nurse set it up through the home OT. Unfortunately Ray refuses to wear it, even though I got the wrist band one. Guess because it's not a Rolex! So I just put it near him if I go out, easier to reach than the phone. Ray's the same with needing the phone number written for him to dial me, and he's great at that (also at calling 911, which he did once), but if he gets panicky and confused he can choose this easy method instead. It can't hurt.

I too got it more for me than him, just one more tool to ease my mind a bit. The amount of stress I live with is bound to cause something to happen to me, someday. Ours just dials the company and they can hear you from anywhere in the house, from the router in my office. If no one responds they call me, then the police. Sort of roundabout, but better than laying there on the floor for three days until someone wonders where you are!

But you reminded me, I do have to make an envelope of important info and hang it somewhere, sort of forgot about that.

Good luck! I tried a "no hidden fees" alert that was supposed to allow direct to 911 and found it was a lie. I am back to using my Tracfone...it's a better deal.

I do have all his meds, then all my meds, on the kitchen table in big freezer bags with our names on them, if they look. I also have a large piece of paper in my purse with all his meds written. I need to write more about his condition though.

Some time ago, I read this terrible news report of a couple being found dead where the caretaker had had a heart attack and she didn't know right off, but after a long time, no doubt realized but couldn't do anything about it, and laid there and starved. It just kept worrying me a lot. I didn't worry about myself dying as much as him laying there for days starving to death. While he can get up now, in a crisis situation, I'm sure he'd panick and fall and then he can't get up from there.

If I waited till medicare paid for it, well they wouldn't pay for my part, and probably not the lock box. So lets say $280 was all that was eligible for consideration. The site says medicare has a $110 deductible, now I don't know if they meant a year (which is easy enough to do), or more like a co-pay for it. That would only leave $170, then they would pay 80% of that. Something like $130, then paid... and maybe more if the $110 is not a co-pay, because he would end up being paid a year every year, anyway. So, it is possible it would pay a lot more. I just can't wait till next September when it is something that could end up being a news horror story, for the both of us.

Sally, which brand was it that you got that did have a hidden fee, and how did that fee work? Debbie has this one, and has confirmed that it is free. There is actually no monitoring that takes place on it, it is just a dialer, like an auto-phone thing, but at the push of a button.

When something like that worries you, the only thing to do is to take care of it. Around here, at least once a year there is a story in the newspaper about a mailman who noticed an older person wasn't taking in their mail and peeked through the windows and saw them stuck behind the toilet bowl or whatever, after three or four days. It is something I now think about myself, a lot. Our mailman is great like that, he called the fire dept once because he saw black smoke coming out of my neighbors chimney (the oil burner just needed a cleaning, but it makes me feel better that he's like that). In the old days Ray and I had each other to watch out, it's so different now.

I do carry his med list everywhere I go, since you never know when 911 is going to be called. When he had his first seizure, we were out for a joy ride and I was glad I had it with me. We have our ICE cards but even those don't describe every detail...but at least they would know he had a stroke and that's why he can't talk. How much time would be wasted figuring that out? OK I'm off to put a packet together, should have been done years ago!

I have a folder in the kitchen which shows all of our medical history and medications. The last time we called 911, the paramedics showed they had all Larry's medical info in their computer. I also showed them where the folder was in the kitchen that had both of our medical info. They also know where I have a key hidden so they don't have to break down the door in case one of us cannot answer.

I have the Freedom Alert also and Larry's Long Term Insurance paid for it. I told Debbie about it as a friend had ordered it for her mother. Larry is more confident when I leave for short errands and I put it around his neck. If he falls by chance, the medical alert button is still on him.

Julie

I showed our home health nurse where all our stuff is and of course the kids know to, but i am so glad that you have got things a bit more situated for you guys --- you've done about as much as you possible can ... and being prepared is kinda like insurance - if you buy buy it hopefully you wont use it...

I hope he likes it and never have to push the button!

Sandy: good news. I hope it brings you as much relief and stress reduction as it did Bruce and I. Debbie

Yesterday after Bob was put to nap, I went to put his coat up and the coat hung up on a plastic lawn chair that I sit beside him in when reading practice. The light weight chair flipped and got tangled up with my feet and I went down. As I was falling, my brain was going, "oh no! I don't have that button yet! What if I can't get up!" The reason I thought that was I fell here 2 weeks after we moved in and the pain was so bad from the way I landed, that I really couldn't get up alone.

Fortunately, I found I could get up, and didn't seem much worse for wear. My shoulder started tightening up last night and I would gasp when I moved my arm - I was really worried, but today it is almost all gone Naturally, he had no idea I had fallen, and that is the kind of thing that worries me. He would be asleep, with no idea, and something would happen to me. Nothing's fool proof, of course, but we all do the best we can, and let the cards fall where they may.

truth....