An elderly friend recently passed out going to the mail box. Fortunately somebody was close by and got help. She has now recovered, but is interested in one of the emergency phone setups.
My Googling came up with a huge number of hits. Most fall into two categories:
Those with a pendant that when pressed, has a live operator come on and the speaker phone is sensitive enough that a conversation can be held anywhere in the house. These all have a monthly fee of $30 or more.
The second type just lets a prerecorded message be made, and when the pendant is used to call for help, up to five neighbors or friends can be called automatically, and the message is sent to that phone. If the first number is busy or does not answer, it automatically dials the next and so forth. Obviously the friends have to be notified and given a key to the house so they can come to help if needed. No monthly fee is reqired.
The trouble is, with both of these types, the pendant’s range to the home station is only 75-100 feet.
I am wondering if there is any similar system but has a range that can be used anywhere. Obviously, the first thing I thought of was a cell phone where you could dial 911. Mine lets the #1 button be used for that if held down a couple of seconds, and I expect they all do. She does not have one and does not want one.
Anybody had any experience with such a thing, or know of one? I don’t see how it would work, but my Kindle has a wireless system using EDVO with the Sprint network, so there is a slim possiblity such a system exists.
If not, we will try to talk her into getting a cell phone small enough to keep with her all the time.
Jitterbug used to make a cell phone that only had a couple of speed dial buttons on it and nothing else. They don’t seem to make it anymore. It looked like this
If you wanted something that really works everywhere on the surface of the Earth, you’d get an Iridium phone. And it’ll only cost you about $3,000 a month (based on the figures for the US DoD in the following article).
You don’t need to do that - a locator beacon will work fine. They are available at any outdoor shop, will transmit to satellite and ground stations worldwide, require no subscription, and cost as little as $200.
Very poor comparison, as the DOD is getting unlimited access. Per-minute charges can range from $1-5 depending on plan, location and destination of the phone call.
The SPOT satellite tracker is a bit bigger than a cellphone, and costs around $150 (but a current promotion offers a significant rebate) plus $100/yr for service. It allows you to send an emergency message via satellite from anywhere; the message includes your position (lat/lon).
For additional annual cost, it will track your position in real time (one report every 10 minutes).
Are you sure that it’s holding down the “1” key that speed dials 911? In my experience (on North American phones), that’s usually pre-defined as whatever number you enter for voicemail, and it’s the “9” key that speed dials 911. The latter usually works even if the phone is locked.
It’s too bad it is so big; it would be terrific if it could be made into a medic alert-style bracelet for folks with dementia or similar illnesses where they tend to leave their homes. You so often hear of someone who’s gone missing from his assisted living or gotten in the car to go visit the grandchildren, only to veer horribly off course and be out of touch of days while the family is frantic. A tracker like this is, as rbroome says, a lifesaver. Make it smaller!
My old piece-of-sh-t cell phone (analog only) had “1” defined as a shortcut for 911 when I got it. I disabled that feature as soon as I found the instructions to do so. My current semi-decent cell phone does have “1” as a shortcut for voice-mail. Pretty sure it doesn’t have any shortcuts for 911, although as you said 911 works regardless of whether the phone is locked.
