Prime Medical Alert FAQs
Personal Emergency Response System FAQs
Medical Alerts are meant to summon help in the event of an emergency. Usually, medical alarms have two main components; the base and the transmitter/pendant. The base can either be mobile or hook into your landline telephone line. Prime Medical Alert offers both solutions. The pendant is the part that is worn as a necklace or a bracelet and serves as the transmitter. In the event of an emergency, like a fall, the user simply presses the button on the pendant and help is on its way.
Depending on which model you ultimately decide on, you can either talk directly through the pendant or communicate through the base.
For most homes and apartments, the operator will have no issue hearing you even if you have a unit that requires communication through the base, regardless of which room the alarm is installed in. If the button is pressed and the operator can’t hear you, they will treat it as an emergency and summon help regardless.
Our emergency monitoring center is called when a user presses their emergency button. The user will be connected with an EMT certified operator. Next, the operator will follow the protocols set at the time of sign up. At sign up, you can choose whether or not you want 911 dialed immediately or if you would rather have emergency contacts called first. You can also choose in which order your emergency contacts are dialed. If no emergency contacts can be reached, 911 is dialed automatically. Also, if you can’t communicate with the operator, emergency services will still be summoned.
It takes less than 45 seconds for an operator to answer after a button has been pressed or fall detection is activated. The amount of time it takes for help to arrive depends on whether you want emergency contacts called before 911. If your emergency contact answers, they can choose whether to come to your aid or have us call 911.
Just like an emergency, the operating center will be contacted. Unlike an emergency however, simply tell the operator you pressed your emergency button by accident. After talking to them, they’ll make a note in our monitoring center log, but no emergency contacts or services will be notified.
Medical alerts are great for any senior living alone, but specifically critical for those who meet any of the following criteria:
- Is left alone for long periods of time without their usual caregiver
- Has a caregiver but is left alone at night
- Has trouble performing any of the activities of daily living (ADLs)
- Is older than 65 with any chronic medical conditions
- Has been hospitalized in the last year
- Is physically frail despite having no medical conditions
- Takes medication that may cause dizziness or drowsiness
- Has a history of falling
According to the CDC, falls are one of the leading causes of hospitalizations for seniors. Falls are costly and dangerous. There are more than three million hospitalizations per year. Although a medical alarm cannot prevent a fall, it allows seniors to get help much faster. Without a medical alarm, seniors are often left untreated for hours or even days – as long as it takes until someone notices something is amiss. It takes this long because after a fall, a person usually has major trouble trying to reach a phone to call emergency services. The speed of recovery depends on how quickly a person is treated.
Equipment FAQs
Prime offers traditional medical alerts, mobile medical alerts, and fall detection enabled devices. We offer emergency help buttons that can be worn as a necklace or a bracelet. For traditional units and some of our mobile units, the button will have to pressed before our emergency operators are contacted. For fall detection units, help is automatically dialed if the equipment senses a sudden fall with no movement afterwards.
Our medical alerts are compatible with every major phone provider. Including, but not limited to, AT&T, Verizon, Cox, Spectrum, Charter, Comcast, Time Warner, and more. If you have a specific regional provider in mind, just ask and our customer service team will be able to let you know.
No, Prime has cellular medical alerts. As long as you have solid cell service in your area you should be good to go.
With traditional units, the base is plugged in directly to the wall and then pendant is powered by battery. Although the pendant is on battery, it is designed to last years. For mobile medical alerts and fall detection pendants, they must be charged regularly, the same way you would charge a cell phone.
Alongside the power to the wall, our traditional units have batteries in the base. The battery is designed to last at least 24 hours. Also, the battery will recharge once normal power is restored.
Depending on the unit you choose, Prime may be able to connect multiple users to the same medical alert system base, under one subscription. If you have multiple members of a household in need of a medical alert, let us know and we can find a solution that works.
Payments, Fees, and Contracts FAQs
No, Prime Medical Alert does not require long-term contracts. If you want to quit, simply notify our customer service team and they will give you directions on how to return the unit. Once we receive the medical alert unit we will cancel your service.
No, there are no cancellation fees unless the medical alert unit is somehow broken or lost.
No, we do not charge on a per-use basis. You can use the medical alert as many times as you need without worrying about extra charges.
Yes, you can choose to pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Your card will be charged automatically in whichever frequency you choose. The price goes down if you choose quarterly or yearly.
Some long term care insurance covers medical alert service, but be sure to check with your provider. For other types of insurance, medical alert service is sometimes covered on a reimbursement basis depending on a patient’s underlying conditions or specific plan. It’s always worth contacting your provider to ask. Unfortunately, Medicare and Medicaid do not cover our services.