# Do you think Emergency pendant service is worth the cost? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 13, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777 "2022-04-13T15:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/21 "2022-04-13T19:52:40Z")
I’d say it’s worth it. It may also be eligible deduction for itemized medical expenses at tax time, but if you bought it maybe not. Medical Expenses have to exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/22 "2022-04-13T19:54:58Z")
Another chime in for Alexa, pepper her home with (echo) dots and it will give her the ability to make a call via voice anywhere in her home and she doesn’t have to carry a device around. However Alexa can’t directly call 911, there is a workaround using a connected device that can, but something to be aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/23 "2022-04-13T19:58:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I can’t help but feel they’re overcharging because _they can_ . > [@aceplace57](#): > > I was concerned if they were charging a fair price. Did you do any price comparisons with other companies? That would seem the logical step to ease your price concerns. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/24 "2022-04-13T20:11:38Z")
I’m 61. Two story house. My office is in a loft above our bedroom so the third story. The stairs to my office are very steep. Not quite a ladder though. I also live in snow country, on a steep lot with a steep and often icy driveway. I work from home and am alone during the day. I keep my cell phone with me at all times. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/25 "2022-04-13T20:16:36Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Did you do any price comparisons with other companies? That would seem the logical step to ease your price concerns. I checked prices when we first ordered the service. That was 4 years ago. I will check prices again before renewing next year. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/26 "2022-04-13T20:57:23Z")
After my Dad passed in 2016, we subscribed to a service for Mom. It required her to wear a watch at all times which was activated by pushing a button. It was 30+ bucks a month, which I always grumbled about, until the time we needed it. One Sunday I was at her apartment for my twice-weekly visit. That night, Mom fell while using the toilet. She crawled into her bedroom and fell asleep on the floor. When she woke up, she pressed the button. The service called both me and 911 within five minutes. I arrived at the same time as the ambulance, which transported her to the ER. Mom had a slight concussion and other bruising, but was otherwise fine. But I always wondered what would have happened without that service. Money well spent, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/27 "2022-04-13T21:53:01Z")
My son’s MIL has an Apple watch with a motion sensor. She also had to get a special lock for her apartment so that 9-1-1 can enter even if she can’t get to the door. Once when she slapped at a fly with that hand, the device asked if she had fallen. Had she answered (or not answered) it would have notified 9-1-1. I have no idea what the device costs, but if I were living alone I would definitely get something like that. This reminds me of a colleague of mine who had a stroke when he was only in his 60s. He lay paralyzed on the floor for hours before he was finally able to get to a telephone and call 9-1-1. But he couldn’t open the door for them and they had to break it down to get to him. He has more-or-less recovered, but I know that the faster you can treat a stroke, the fuller the recovery is likely to be. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/28 "2022-04-13T22:23:48Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I read somewhere that seniors rarely use the device when they are in actual distress, such as when they’ve fallen and can’t get up. The first time my mother fell during the night, she didn’t use the button until morning because she didn’t want to bother anyone until then. 🤦‍♀️ Fortunately, we convinced her that that was really stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/29 "2022-04-13T22:29:35Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I use [Harborough Lifeline](https://www.harborough.gov.uk/harboroughlifeline/), which is run by a nearby local authority… > > They phone me monthly to check I’m OK. That’s nice, but I imagine a lot can go wrong betwen calls. 😉 I should probably make a point of always carrying my cellphone with me, in case I am struck by lightning while working in the garden, attacked by a rabid fox or trapped in my garage when the automatic door opener closes on a whim and the door release doesn’t work (which actually happened one time). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/30 "2022-04-13T23:42:14Z")
> [@Kelby](#): > > Mom has an Alexa device upstairs and down she can tell to call my phone or any other emergency number. Two stories. One is about a friend of my parents. He and his wife were living in what my mother calls the nicest senior living community in Connecticut. He had one of those emergency pendants and hung it on the door while he was about to take a bath or shower. He fell into the tub and wasn’t able to get up, eventually dying. The lesson, if there is one, is that you have to have it with you at all times. The second story is about Alexa (which is why I’m replying to you). A relative by marriage has been a quadriplegic since a slip-and-fall on a patch of ice in January 2016. His wife was his primary caregiver (both were in their 70s when this happened) but one morning in summer 2020, he woke up but she wasn’t there. (Turned out that she died in her sleep.) He was not able to get out of bed without assistance but was able to use Alexa to make a call. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/31 "2022-04-13T23:53:32Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > He was not able to get out of bed without assistance but was able to use Alexa to make a call. We’ve had Alexa for years, but I didn’t know we could make calls. I just tested it, and by golly it works. As we are getting older, that’s very good to know. I’ll have to program in some contacts, as I don’t know anyone’s number these days except my wife’s. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/32 "2022-04-14T00:49:42Z")
My father-in-law had one. Unfortunately, he fell while he was working in his garden, and while he was wearing the pendant, he was out of the base unit’s range. He laid there for three hours until one of the neighbors happened to come outside and heard him calling. My wife, who is a fall risk, went with the Apple watch. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/33 "2022-04-14T03:29:07Z")
It’s easy to forget the importance of Emergency contact devices. I complain about the annual payment but it’s really not a major cost. I’ll probably use the pendant myself if my mom goes to a care home. You don’t have to be in your eighties to fall or have a medical emergency. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/34 "2022-04-14T05:01:04Z")
I’m a senior with balance problems, and I have fallen three times in the past year (once, causing a serious injury). I have just bought an Apple watch, but haven’t set up the fall detection yet. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/35 "2022-04-14T08:26:15Z")
> [@glee](#): > > They phone me monthly to check I’m OK. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > That’s nice, but I imagine a lot can go wrong between calls. Sorry - I didn’t explain very well. 😬 The service is monitored 24/7, but they **also** phone me monthly. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > But he couldn’t open the door for them and they had to break it down to get to him. My service asked me for the phone number of a local friend who has a key to my house, so the friend can meet emergency services at the front door and let them in. > [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Unfortunately, he fell while he was working in his garden, and while he was wearing the pendant, he was out of the base unit’s range. The service works within about 100 feet of the base unit, so I can call from the bottom of my garden. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/36 "2022-04-14T11:18:47Z")
Never underestimate a senior’s ability to unintentionally nullify a safety measure. My mother had a pendant, which she eventually misplaced. She called Philips Lifeline and got a replacement. Then her cleaning lady found the old pendant, which had fallen behind some furniture. Mom kept both pendants, and used whichever one was handy. Trouble was, when Philips Lifeline sent the new pendant, they dectivated the old one. Sure enough, Mom fell and broke her wrist and couldn’t get up. The pendant didn’t work, as it was the one that was deactivated. She laid on the floor for five hours until the gardener arrived and heard her cries for help. So ended her living alone, we sold the house and packed her off to assisted living at age 97. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/37 "2022-04-14T13:47:08Z")
I did not vote in the poll because only you can answer whether it is worth it to you, under your unique circumstances. I will say, though, that the cost took me by surprise. I would not have guessed that it would be that expensive. mmm ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/38 "2022-04-14T13:52:22Z")
Was taking something to our shed and fell. A dusting of snow on top of ice has gotten me a couple of times. Bang, you are down. I crawled the rest of the way to the shed and found a bag of snow/icemelt/salt. I used that to slowly make my way back to the house. And no, it’s not in anyway practical or possible to clear all the ice and snow. I’m happy when I can clear it enough so 4x4’s can get up our driveway. A little slope and a dusting of snow on ice is absolutely treacherous to walk on. I use Yak Traks, but if there is snow on top of the ice, they don’t work as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/39 "2022-04-14T14:05:19Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I will say, though, that the cost took me by surprise. I would not have guessed that it would be that expensive. Note that the cost varies. When my mother was looking into this sort of thing, I did some research and the top-rated product from the site I found was from a Bay Area company called Bay Alarm Medical. The least expensive service only works at home via landline and costs about twenty bucks a month, but more expensive services use cellular connections or work outside the home. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777/40 "2022-04-14T16:08:49Z")
My mom has a box she can take on trips. It allows the pendant to work by cellular. I need to check with the company. It may require a 5g upgrade My mom doesn’t drive anymore. She always has relatives take her to appointments. The same people on the pendant contact list. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-emergency-pendant-service-is-worth-the-cost/962777.md?page=1)