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Health August 2012

Aid for Age

The Reassurance of a Personal Security Device

By Tait Trussell

Also be aware of the following contract clauses: Early termination charges can leave you liable for a large part of the cost of the contract’s term even if you move. Limited liability, where a company isn’t responsible and won’t reimburse beyond a specific amount for damage or stolen goods is another area to check.

Poor Mrs. Anderson. You’ve undoubtedly seen her in the TV commercial running nationally for the ADT security system. Mrs. Anderson’s daughter has urged her mother to get the ADT system.

But, in the TV commercial, Mrs. Anderson insists defiantly: “That’s for old people.”

Then the TV spot shows Mrs. Anderson carrying a basket of laundry down the stairs. “One day,” she says, “I slipped,” and apparently she fell and broke her hip. But, fortunately the daughter had talked her into getting the security system. It includes a pendent she wears around her neck. It has a button, which Mrs. Anderson, lying in pain, pushed to call ADT. “It was so good to hear ADT on the other end of the phone,” she says in a reassuring tone.

We feel so sorry for Mrs. Anderson as the commercial comes on each night. And each night in this national advertising campaign, the poor dear falls and breaks her hip. Again and again. How can she stand it?

Well, actually it’s nothing to joke about. The service which allows the elderly to have a safety system whereby they can get help in an emergency is a worthy and growing business as the population ages. ADT is one of the largest home alarm system companies in the world. It has more than 5 million residential customers and over 2 million commercial customers throughout the world.

Most seniors prefer to continue to live at home if it’s possible, rather than going into assisted living facilities or being put in nursing homes.

The average cost in an assisted living facility is about $4000 a month. Nursing home care varies depending on the seriousness of the patient’s condition. But it can cost many thousands of dollars a year.

Mrs. Anderson’s security system, like others, entails a package of safety features usually including a fire alarm and carbon monoxide detector, An ADT sticker in the window tends to deter criminals from attempting to enter. ADT says it has 130 years of experience.

Another home security system is Vivint. It claims fastest response time, cameras, and the ability to monitor the home from anywhere. Pinnacle Security is another system, which one customer described as having an “awesome image system.”

Broadview Security is still another system. A customer tells of a fire in his kitchen. No one was at home except the family’s dog, in a kennel with no way out. Broadview reached the owner after the smoke sensor went off and the fire department was called and came to rescue the dog and fight the fire.

Life Shield Home Security is able to customize settings for each individual sensor as opposed to by zone. It boasts an “easy wireless installation.”

Consumer Reports magazine says noisy alarms “can provide an extra layer of security. Almost 80 percent of homeowners with alarms rated these systems effective at protecting their homes in a recent survey.” Before you get an alarm or switch companies, check whether your area requires a permit, the magazine advises.

Also be aware of the following contract clauses: Early termination charges can leave you liable for a large part of the cost of the contract’s term even if you move. Limited liability, where a
company isn’t responsible and won’t reimburse beyond a specific amount for damage or stolen goods is another area to check.

As for Mrs. Anderson, it’s heart-wrenching to see her continue to fracture her hip and be in agonizing pain. But it’s reassuring when she pushes the button on her pendent and says, “It was so good to hear ADT on the other end of the line.”

ADT says it costs a customer about a dollar a day. It pays to check out other systems, too, which are less expensive.

There’s Medical Care Alert, for example. It provides hospital-grade medical alert equipment manufactured by the German company Bosch. It has a button which an injured patient can push to signal the base unit for help. The microphone and speaker are said to be quite sensitive and the button is waterproof, so it can be worn in a shower. The Bosch care-phone is the first choice of Medical Care Alert.

Meanwhile, night after night, poor Mrs. Anderson is breaking her hip on TV, but when she pushes her safety button, “It’s so good” she says “to hear ADT on the other end of the line.”

 

Tait Trussell is an old guy and fourth-generation professional journalist who writes extensively about aging issues among a myriad of diverse topics.

Meet Tait