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Which best describes their mobility?
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How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
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I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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That is a hard one. I would suggest checking with a nursing home and see what they recommend. I sort of think they all work about the same and will do the job.
Not to be nit picky, but I think a device really can't be used for fall prevention, as the factors that contribute to falls are mobility, stability, age, condition, balance, and more.
A device can be used though to get help after a fall occurs, or (and I'm not being sarcastic) help as someone is falling if the device can be activated that quickly. My experience is that falls occur so quickly I'm lucky if I can get a grip around someone's waist (w/o using a gait belt all the time) before someone's down on the floor.
So I wanted a company that provided immediate response, even though the ads suggest they all do.
The research I did before making a selection including contacting several different local and some national companies providing pendants and fall support. A few were eliminated if I didn't get return calls the same day. If they're that slow, I don't want to rely on them.
The one I selected was honest about the limitations of GPS pendants at the time. Others skipped over the GPS issue with blithe pats on the hand reassurances that they worked. (I should hope so!). Those didn't get the contract either. The honest company advised that at that time, a GPS device in a medic alert pendant wasn't that reliable but it was testing different ones to find a better option.
That company also provides security services and has done so for years. It's local to the area, and over a period of years has proven to be the right selection.
I'm P'M' ing you the name, as advertising isn't allowed here and my endorsement of them could constitute advertising.
The company does cover a few other states. If I had to find a new company, I'd go with a company that already provides security rather than one that focuses on pendants as its primary line of devices and services.
I also rejected some of those that advertise in senior magazines. Most of them wouldn't even discuss their services without getting my contact information and sending literature. I didn't want literature - I wanted answers to MY questions.
I have never regretted my choice. I've even asked them to call when I couldn't reach my father by phone but knew that he'd hear the pendant which is a wireless device.
I should add that health care and private duty agencies are trying to sell services for fall detection as part of their own care package. Do your own research first; you (nor I ) have any idea whether or not they push a specific company b/c they're getting referral fees.
I suppose the day will come when a health care agency diversifies and plugs a whole slew of elder care products - depend type garments, walkers, rollators, grabbers and who knows what.
End stage Alzheimer's they are not capable of calling for help--when they fall, they fall and can't get up until someone sees them and helps them. Most falls do happen near the bed. I have a fall mat which is very helpful and I have the bed near the bedroom wall so she can grab the wall. Of course the worse off the Alzheimer's the more likely they will fall. You can get fall alarms for the bed but they can go off and they are already on the floor. They can also produce many false alarms so it disrupts their sleep. They even fall with you in the room with them. I walk my mom daily (with her walker) which helps and she can do 1/4th a mile. but falls still happen no matter what I do because she's very end stage. When she completely loses her appetite I will have to decide about a feeding tube which she will pull out -- but I also can't just stand by and watch her starve. Fortunately it's not that bad--yet--but her appetite has gone down.
Cetude, not putting in a feeding tube isn't letting them starve to death. What happens is the person just gets sleepy. It's a gentle way to go. They aren't feeling hunger anyway. All the feeding tube does is prolong the death. Now, having said that, if she's still able to talk, or know you are in the room, you might want to have one put in. It's a hard decision but not one that should be made because you think they are hungry. Make sure they still give her ice and or fluids because that will keep her more comfortable. Been there, had to do that so I know it's not easy. I had to do this for my mother-in-law, who I loved like she was my mom. We had the first one put in but by the time she needed another one it was time to let her go. I'm so glad my own mom had that discussion with me before she got to that point so I knew what to do without all the guilt that can go with it.
How is the device a "fall preventive?" For "fall prevention" - you need to do Physical Therapy. You need to see how the person is walking - barefoot - so you can see if he/she is raising the toes on either foot while walking. I am telling you this from experience. I noticed earlier in the year that my DH raises his toes on his right foot whenever he walks. PT explained that it is from the fear of falling forward - it is done to balance. The problem is, when the person raises his toes, he pretty much IS going to fall if trying to backup or turn around, and they fall backwards because they cannot balance from this position. We are still working on this but Ray has not fallen now in a couple of months.
You're speaking of a device for a person who has fallen and can't get up? I know nothing of these - I am Ray's "help device" and I pick him up.
However, if your patient has a cell phone, pretty much they all have GPS I've been told. Go to the Alzheimer's website and see what might be available for you and covered by Medicare.
I actually just got the button necklace for my mom. The company told me that they do have automatic fall alerts pendants that do alert when they fall. However, if your parent is a "sinker" or one who just kind of slides down, the device cannot detect those falls near as well. They were honest and that's what my mom does so we just went with the necklace. Now if they only remember to push the button lol!
Garden Artist I found a company who offers nationwide GPS service, no contracts, $30. Month. I travel a lot so this is great. Most of them only offer service in the home.
No "device" will prevent falls. The person must be committed to walking carefully, and paying attention to uneven surfaces, etc when they DO walk.
PT is great, although not many elders are compliant in continuing the exercises and staying mobile. I know mother, once the PT left, was back to stage one, falling and sliding to the ground at the slightest provocation. Her choice.
The "fall alert pendant" is GREAT in THEORY. But the person has to wear it. And the people who are contacted once it "goes off" have to ANSWER THEIR PHONES. Mother wears one, sort of, sometimes. It goes through the wash on the reg. It does NOT go off, even in the dryer. Weird. If your loved one is a "slider" or "slumper" it also will not go off, it seems to take a really fairly hard hit to work.
Also, most of them come with a button that can be pushed--but again, the elder has to KNOW what they are doing. Mother isn't strong enough in her hands to push the button. I think we're almost at the apartment-wide monitoring system so brother can see what she's doing 24/7. He hates the idea, as it really destroys any semblance of independence, but she chose to stay in her apt and wants to be independent.
She hasn't fallen in a few months, we get complacent. Or she falls and I don't know about it.
These devices have changed over the years. I used Phillips for my Mom. It had a motion sensor built in so if you fall the button would hit the floor. If you can't hit the button, an operator will call. If they get no response, 911 will be called. This cost about $50 a month. Some companies now have where u can be outside or away from home and can use the button. Your doctors office should have info n these companies. Maybe ur local Visiting Nurse Assoc. Even ur Health Insurance.
Interesting discussions. While I'm not a techie, I think the pendant has a stabilizing mechanism, and when tilted or position is changed, it alarms and triggers a response.
I have a vague recollection of returning home after a VA trip and seeing the monitoring service calls on my caller ID. The pendant activated sometime during that visit, but I'm not sure when. And there was no fall that had occurred.
I've been present when calls have been activated and the monitoring service has called just when a seated change of position has occurred. It's also activated when a "sliding" fall has happened.
Of course, a pendant is not a fall prevention device. That is for AFTER the fall when help needs to be summoned. As for prevention , perhaps an OT/PT evaluation of her environment and her balance could help. Try local VNA, but would need MD order to have the service.
Best Fall prevention . . An individual or a whole family willing to provide 24 x 7 care for a loved one with a family member by their side 24 x 7. That is what I do for my Mother. She walks around her apartment with or sometimes without a walker at 100 years old. We go for walks a time or two each week with my holding her hand in addition to her walking around in her apartment. It is approx 42 yards round trip from her bed to the toilet. I learned from friends with parents in Senior Facilities that falls can be the start of LO's dying. We have different gadgets, a bed alarm and a pendant but what has kept Mother safe from any falls since we moved to a heavenly facility 7 months ago is that I am full time and my son or his wife give me breaks are right by her side 24 x 7. We have worked this out with the facility. We have a loving family life including Mother's kitty.
There is no such thing as a fall prevention device. The devices for after there is a fall. We had a fall alert device for my father. He kept thinking he was able to get up and walk. He had balance problems because of strokes and dementia. I liked having the alert system. His alert system had a fall detection feature which was very useful. Most of his falls were at night when we were asleep. We ended up buying a portable alarm which we hooked up to his bed at night and on his wheelchair during the day. We also had a video monitor in his room. Once they start falling it is hard to keep them from falling.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
That is a hard one. I would suggest checking with a nursing home and see what they recommend. I sort of think they all work about the same and will do the job.
A device can be used though to get help after a fall occurs, or (and I'm not being sarcastic) help as someone is falling if the device can be activated that quickly. My experience is that falls occur so quickly I'm lucky if I can get a grip around someone's waist (w/o using a gait belt all the time) before someone's down on the floor.
So I wanted a company that provided immediate response, even though the ads suggest they all do.
The research I did before making a selection including contacting several different local and some national companies providing pendants and fall support. A few were eliminated if I didn't get return calls the same day. If they're that slow, I don't want to rely on them.
The one I selected was honest about the limitations of GPS pendants at the time. Others skipped over the GPS issue with blithe pats on the hand reassurances that they worked. (I should hope so!). Those didn't get the contract either. The honest company advised that at that time, a GPS device in a medic alert pendant wasn't that reliable but it was testing different ones to find a better option.
That company also provides security services and has done so for years. It's local to the area, and over a period of years has proven to be the right selection.
I'm P'M' ing you the name, as advertising isn't allowed here and my endorsement of them could constitute advertising.
The company does cover a few other states. If I had to find a new company, I'd go with a company that already provides security rather than one that focuses on pendants as its primary line of devices and services.
I also rejected some of those that advertise in senior magazines. Most of them wouldn't even discuss their services without getting my contact information and sending literature. I didn't want literature - I wanted answers to MY questions.
I have never regretted my choice. I've even asked them to call when I couldn't reach my father by phone but knew that he'd hear the pendant which is a wireless device.
I suppose the day will come when a health care agency diversifies and plugs a whole slew of elder care products - depend type garments, walkers, rollators, grabbers and who knows what.
For "fall prevention" - you need to do Physical Therapy. You need to see how the person is walking - barefoot - so you can see if he/she is raising the toes on either foot while walking. I am telling you this from experience. I noticed earlier in the year that my DH raises his toes on his right foot whenever he walks. PT explained that it is from the fear of falling forward - it is done to balance. The problem is, when the person raises his toes, he pretty much IS going to fall if trying to backup or turn around, and they fall backwards because they cannot balance from this position. We are still working on this but Ray has not fallen now in a couple of months.
You're speaking of a device for a person who has fallen and can't get up? I know nothing of these - I am Ray's "help device" and I pick him up.
However, if your patient has a cell phone, pretty much they all have GPS I've been told. Go to the Alzheimer's website and see what might be available for you and covered by Medicare.
I found a company who offers nationwide GPS service, no contracts, $30. Month. I travel a lot so this is great. Most of them only offer service in the home.
PT is great, although not many elders are compliant in continuing the exercises and staying mobile. I know mother, once the PT left, was back to stage one, falling and sliding to the ground at the slightest provocation. Her choice.
The "fall alert pendant" is GREAT in THEORY. But the person has to wear it. And the people who are contacted once it "goes off" have to ANSWER THEIR PHONES. Mother wears one, sort of, sometimes. It goes through the wash on the reg. It does NOT go off, even in the dryer. Weird. If your loved one is a "slider" or "slumper" it also will not go off, it seems to take a really fairly hard hit to work.
Also, most of them come with a button that can be pushed--but again, the elder has to KNOW what they are doing. Mother isn't strong enough in her hands to push the button. I think we're almost at the apartment-wide monitoring system so brother can see what she's doing 24/7. He hates the idea, as it really destroys any semblance of independence, but she chose to stay in her apt and wants to be independent.
She hasn't fallen in a few months, we get complacent. Or she falls and I don't know about it.
I have a vague recollection of returning home after a VA trip and seeing the monitoring service calls on my caller ID. The pendant activated sometime during that visit, but I'm not sure when. And there was no fall that had occurred.
I've been present when calls have been activated and the monitoring service has called just when a seated change of position has occurred. It's also activated when a "sliding" fall has happened.