Elderly parent safety question

[July]

10. I got the Great Call device for my mother about 3 years ago.

After researching everything I could find on these devices, I went with GreatCall.

The good news is that it was a no-contract arrangement and was still cheaper than other similar devices. In addition, and more importantly, the set-up allowed us to be able to track her device, and the people we interfaced with were unfailingly helpful. You can give them a brief profile of the customer's important data, like doctor's contact info, the customer's medical conditions, and contact info for both family members and local friends or family.

The bad news is that it only works if you can get your parent in the habit of wearing or carrying it. My mother was beginning to show signs of a frontotemporal dementia but still living on her own, which was worrying to me and my siblings. She could not manage to keep it on her person, so when no-one could locate her for a day and a half, the device was of no help (she was okay, and the device was in the grass outside her apartment).

If your mom is sharp and can be convinced that it provides peace of mind for both her and family members, it's a good tool. She can call for help through it, and even if she can't communicate, they will set things in motion to make sure she's okay, or call police or rescue.

Also, since it's a month-to-month arrangement, it's easy to cancel (you still keep the device). We had no problem doing that when we had to find my mother a place in a memory-care unit of a care "village."