by Heidi Nestor, Writer and Editor, Life Alert

It’s that time when pumpkins are harvested, football is starting, and Oktoberfest is in the air. Autumn holds a lot of fun activities for families with elderly relatives, such as picking out the best pumpkins to carve and going for hayrides; but what’s not fun for senior citizens is doing an impersonation of foliage falling to the ground.

Like an autumn leaf, an elderly person can lie on the ground for a long time until someone comes a long and picks them up.  But, our venerable loved ones are not leaves, and therefore, they need more then just a few minutes of “raking” attention.  What could have been a minor accident, can have fatal results if help doesn’t arrive quickly.

That’s why Life Alert medical alert pendant is as important to the elderly as pumpkins are to Jack-O-Lanterns. Life Alert’s patented 2-way communication monitor allows emergency help to be sent as fast as Trick-or-Treaters running to a house that gives away king size candy bars.

Life Alert’s medical alert protection alerts the emergency dispatch center where dedicated and extensively trained dispatchers can talk to the person and send help.  But what if the person can’t communicate?  If there is no response, Life Alert will still send help. Life Alert allows seniors to live independently and feel safe knowing that with one touch of a button, emergency help is on the way fast, 24/7, even if the phone is as far away as dieting over the holidays.

It’s easy to detect autumn in the air with the first whiff of crisp freshness.  But what is not too easy to detect is a CO gas leak.  Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, and deadly gas that can build up to dangerous levels in your home when gas stoves, water heaters, furnaces, clothes dryers or fireplaces are not properly vented, operated or maintained. Life Alert’s Monitored Carbon Monoxide Protection will send a signal to our dispatchers in the event that CO gas levels increase to dangerous levels.  Then our emergency center will call you and send help, if needed; and you thought the only gas you had to worry about was Uncle Ralph after Thanksgiving dinner.

Speaking of food, autumn kicks off the holiday cooking season where 80 year old Aunt Edna brews up a feast in the kitchen.  But what’s scarier than an overcooked marshmallow yam casserole is that older adults are 2.7 times more likely to die in a fire than the general population, and ages 85 and up are 4.6 times more likely to suffer a fire fatality, according to FEMA.  That’s why Life Alert’s monitored Smoke Detector will not only sound an alarm when smoke is detected, but will also send a signal to emergency dispatchers who will then notify the Fire department, so help can be sent fast.  This kind of speedy response can literally mean the difference between life and death, and perhaps the rescuing of a yummy marshmallow yam casserole.

So as you enjoy the changing of the season, make sure any falling that occurs results in foliage fatalities only. But if you find yourself on the ground or in a home emergency Life Alert can get you help fast, 24/7, with a simple press of a button, thus avoiding feeling like a helpless pile of leaves.

---

The articles on this Life Alert website are covered by a Creative Commons License. You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work; to make derivative works; to make commercial use of the work --under the following conditions: Attribution --You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. Please go to the Creative Commons License site for more information on the CC license that applies to this work.

For more information about Life Alert and its many services and benefits for seniors – available in New York, California, Florida, and other states nationwide -- please visit the following websites:

http://www.lifealert.net
http://www.seniorprotection.com
http://www.lifealertnewyork.com