Medical Alert Glossary

Terms You Should Know When Considering Our Medical Alert System

Physical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, macular degeneration heart disease, hip and knee replacement and diabetes can lead to problems which limits a senior's mobility, and increase concern for accidental falls. A Medical Alarm System can provide many benefits for these age-related health issues.

Back-Up Battery or Power Supply for Senior Medical Alert Systems

Each LifeFone Medical Alert System has a rechargeable internal back-up battery that provides either 15 to 24 hours of stand-by power supply in the case of power failure or accidental disconnection from the home electrical outlet. It also notifies our Emergency Response Center that you have a discharging or low battery.

Base Unit

The LifeFone medical alarm base unit is a compact communicator device which plugs into an electrical outlet and to a phone jack. The base unit, when activated by a Personal Help Button or the button on the top of the base unit, puts subscribers in touch with the LifeFone Emergency Response Center. An Emergency Care Specialist will speak to the LifeFone subscriber via a two-way speakerphone device in the base unit, and will stay in contact until the emergency is over.

Caregiver

Someone who is concerned and/or takes direct responsibility for the care and well-being of a loved one, family member or friend. Caregivers often make the decision regarding which medical alarm service is most appropriate. It is often an aunt, uncle, mother, father, sister, brother, friend, grandmother, grandfather, wife or husband who needs a personal help button, and LifeFone's Medical Alarm System can be the answer.

Contacts (or Responders)

An individual that the subscriber wants notified by LifeFone whenever the subscriber needs assistance. This can be a family member, neighbor or healthcare provider who wants to be informed of the subscriber's well being.

Emergency

An emergency is any time the LifeFone Emergency Response Center dispatches assistance to the subscriber's home. Assistance may involve calling individuals identified by the subscriber as contacts or responders, typically neighbors, friends and family, or could include emergency service providers such as local community police, fire or ambulance, depending on the situation.

Emergency Care Plan

A personalized Emergency Care Plan logs the medical history, medications, allergies, doctor's names, preferred hospital and other vital life-saving information provided by LifeFone subscribers. This information can be updated anytime online, or by calling LifeFone. Each LifeFone subscriber has a personalized response plan with family, friends or neighbors listed for contact in the event of an emergency. The medical profile and response protocol are maintained on LifeFone's secure computers.

Emergency Care Specialist

A member of the LifeFone Emergency Response Center, trained to verbally assist people in emergency situations. The LifeFone Emergency Care Specialist will contact EMS, your family or other designated responders. Your personalized Emergency Care Plan will be displayed on LifeFone's computer and the Emergency Care Specialist will be able to provide EMS with your medical history, medications, allergies, doctor's names, preferred hospital and other vital life-saving information.

Emergency Response Center

The Emergency Response Center is located within LifeFone's facilities and staffed 24/7 by highly trained Emergency Care Specialists. When a Personal Help Button is pressed, a signal is automatically sent to the LifeFone Emergency Response Center, where all calls from seniors who need medical, emergency, or assistance from a fall are received. An Emergency Care Specialist will speak to the LifeFone subscriber via a two-way speakerphone device in the base unit, and will stay in contact until the emergency is over.

Emergency Service Providers, EMS and 911 Medical Response

Your local community EMS such as police, fire and ambulance that will be dispatched by the LifeFone Emergency Response Center, depending on the nature of the need for assistance.

Hands Free Answering or Remote Telephone Answering

Subscribers can use their LifeFone Base Unit's speakerphone to answer incoming telephone calls just by pressing their Personal Help Buttons after the phone has rung. This eliminates the need for the LifeFone subscriber to get up to answer the phone.

Heart-Related Conditions

Physical conditions like congestive heart disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension or high blood pressure, and previous heart attack can limit an individual's mobility and a Personal Medical Alarm can provide many benefits.

Help Button

LifeFone's Help Button can be a Personal Help Button or a Wall-Mounted Help Button. The Personal Help Button pendant can hang safely around your neck for easy access in an event of an emergency. You can also be secure with a LifeFone Personal Help Button wristband which fits securely around your wrist. The Wall-Mounted Help Button is easily mounted with velcro to any convenient spot in your home. This button works just like the pendant or wristlet button to activate the LifeFone system. LifeFone subscribers feel safer with this button mounted near their nightstand, or in the bathroom. All Help Buttons have an easy to press button, which transmits a signal to the LifeFone emergency response center, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

LifeFone

LifeFone has been an innovator in providing security and peace of mind to thousands of people throughout the US and Canada since 1976. Utilizing the latest information technology and our continued commitment to "personal" response, LifeFone is in the forefront of the healthcare communications industry. As a leading provider of Personal Response Services, LifeFone is recommended by healthcare providers throughout North America. These providers include: hospitals, area agencies on aging, home health care providers, social workers and geriatric care managers. LifeFone is an integral part of their overall care program.

Limited Mobility Conditions

Physical conditions such as paralysis, and neuromuscular diseases like Parkinsons Disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Cerebral Palsy, amputation, or osteoporosis can limit an individual's mobility and Medical Alarms can provide multiple benefits for people with mobility-related conditions.

Lock Box or Key Box

The hanging key box / lockbox is designed to fit securely around the doorknob on your entry door. The wall mount key box / lockbox is designed to be mounted near your entry door. With the secret combination, help can quickly retrieve the house key from inside the key box in an emergency without breaking into your home.

Low Battery Warning

LifeFone medical alarms will automatically alert our Emergency Reponse Center when a subscriber's base unit back-up battery is low.

Medical Alarm or Medical Alarms, Medical Alert or Medical Alerts

All are popular terms for LifeFone's medical alarm service, trusted since 1976 to provide personal protection to our subscribers.

Personal Emergency Response Systems or PERS or Personal Alarm Systems

Popular terms for LifeFone's medical alarm service, trusted since 1976 to provide personal protection to our subscribers.

Personal Help Button(s)

The waterproof button/pendant/transmitter worn by LifeFone subscribers as a necklace pendant or wristband (like a watch.) The Personal Help Button is pressed to call for help to the LifeFone Emergency Response Center. When a Personal Help Button is pressed, a signal is automatically sent to the LifeFone Emergency Response Center, where all calls from seniors who need medical, emergency, or assistance from a fall are received. An Emergency Care Specialist will speak to the LifeFone subscriber via a two-way speakerphone device in the base unit, and will stay in contact until the emergency is over.

Personal Response Operator

Another description of a member of the LifeFone Emergency Response Center, trained to verbally assist people in emergency situations. The LifeFone Emergency Care Specialist will contact EMS, your family or other designated responders. Your personalized Emergency Care Plan will be displayed on LifeFone's computer and the Emergency Care Specialist will be able to provide EMS with your medical history, medications, allergies, doctor's names, preferred hospital and other vital life-saving information.

Physical Challenges for Seniors

Physical conditions like paralysis, MS Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Stroke or other neuromuscular disorders, amputation, macular degeneration or other visual impairments, or hearing difficulty which limit an individual's mobility and safety. People affected by these challenges may benefit from the peace of mind provided by LifeFone Medical Alarms.

Responders

Responders are the first people LifeFone will contact to come to the aid of the subscriber, unless the need for emergency services such as police, fire or ambulance is needed. Responders may be relatives, friends, neighbors or people living with the subscriber, but they should be close enough to be able to come to the aid of a subscriber quickly. A responder who is usually more than 5 minutes away is not a good choice.

Response Center

Another name like medical monitoring center, to describe the facilities where all calls from seniors who need medical, emergency, or assistance from a fall are received. The Emergency Response Center is located within LifeFone's facilities and staffed 24/7 by highly trained Emergency Care Specialists.

Senior Alarm or Senior Alarms or Senior Alert or Senior Safety Alarms or Alerts

A description of LifeFone's Emergency Medical Alarm service for Seniors.

Senior Medical Alarm or Senior Medical Alarms

A description of LifeFone's Emergency Medical Alarm service for Seniors.

Smoke Detector

A regular smoke detector just makes a noise in the presence of smoke, a LifeFone smoke detection unit reacts to the presence of smoke or fire by sending a direct signal to a LifeFone specialist who monitors the detector 24/7.

Subscriber

An individual who is enrolled to receive monitoring from the LifeFone personal emergency response system.

Two - Way Voice communication

Each LifeFone base unit has a built-in speakerphone that is activated when the subscriber presses their Personal Help Button. This allows the LifeFone Emergecy Care Specialist to speak to anyone in the home without the need for the household phone to be picked up. This two-way voice communication helps Lifefone determine the type of assistance required and speeds the process of getting help in an emergency.

Wall Mounted-Help Button or Stationary Help Button

LifeFone's Help Button offers an extra level of protection. This button is easily mounted with velcro to any convenient spot in your home. This button works just like the pendant or wristlet button to activate the LifeFone system, which transmits a signal to the LifeFone emergency response center. LifeFone subscribers feel safer with this button mounted near their nightstand, or in the bathroom.

Worldwide Protection

When you carry the LifeFone Emergency Response Card, anywhere you travel healthcare providers will have instant access to your Personalized Profile through LifeFone's Emergency Response Network.