Senior Helpers Provides Comprehensive Fall/Personal Emergency Response System (PERs) at Reduced Cost

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 27, 2010

Contact:
Frank Hayes, President Senior Helpers
(512) 388-4357, fhayes@seniorhelpers.com

Leading Senior Care Provider Announces New Local Partnership
Agreement makes innovative home emergency response system available to seniors across Central Texas at a reduced cost

Round Rock, Tex. (October 27, 2010) – What if something happens and nobody’s there to help?
Thousands of American families with aging loved ones ask this question every day. Elderly individuals want to continue to live at home where it’s safe, comfortable and affordable – but help still needs to be close by, just in case.

Thanks to a new partnership between Senior Helpers of Central Texas, a leading local in-home senior care provider, and Life Support Medical, a full service home medical response company, this common worry is no longer a problem.Senior Helpers and Life Support Medical are now working together to make the Home Safety and Fall Monitoring System, a next-generation home emergency response system, available to aging seniors living throughout Central Texas. Senior Helpers will provide the system to their clients at little to no upfront costs.  Thanks to this partnership, local families with aging seniors will be able to rest assured, knowing their loved ones are safe in their own homes.

Nationally, falls are the leading cause of injury and hospital admissions due to trauma for people 65 years old and up – and over half of all falls occur in the home where traditionally, there might not be anyone around to help. The security provided by the Home Safety and Fall Monitoring System helps to reduce the number of injuries and fatal incidents among seniors, helping to keep families together longer.

“Senior Helpers is dedicated to providing families with elderly loved ones every possible comfort to let them know that when they can’t physically be there – we are, and we’re taking care of everything,” says Frank Hayes, owner of Senior Helpers of Central Texas. “Partnering with Life Support Medical adds another level to what we can offer our clients and their families, a superior home safety and fall response system for the ones who mean the most to us.”

Through the use of a small wireless devices positioned throughout the home and worn by a senior, the Home Safety and Fall Monitoring System monitors the user’s physical activity (or lack thereof) and much more using state of the art and easy to install technology and  a response center located in the U.S., manned by trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s). In the event of a fall or (definable) motionless periods of time, this information is transmitted directly from the senior’s home to emergency medical response teams who can respond effectively and immediately.

The system also monitors a number of potential problems outside of unexpected falls as well, including flood detection, smoke detection, lack of activity and carbon monoxide sensors. The system also offers a programmable medication reminder for seniors who are prescribed daily medication.

“This system provides a comprehensive level of security and peace of mind that seniors living alone and their families have never had before,” said Tony Dohrmann, President with Life Support Medical. “Our goal is to provide the technology to allow seniors to feel safe, comfortable and sound in their own homes knowing that if something were to happen, help is right there 24 hours per day. Senior Helpers shares this same vision of helping aging loved ones to remain independent, and we look forward to working with them to help local families across the area sleep a little easier each night.” 

For more information on Senior Helpers and Life Support Medical, visit www.seniorhelpers.com/roundrock  and www.lifesupportmedical.com. 

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About Senior Helpers:
Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has 300 franchises in 42 states and one in Canada offering a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care.  For more information, please visit: http://www.seniorhelpers.com/roundrock and view our Blog at http://seniorhelperscentraltexas.blogspot.com/  

About Life Support Medical:
Life Support Medical provides comprehensive medical alert, health management and home safety systems to clients nationwide. Life Support Medical focuses on individuals who are health challenged by illness or the effects of aging who seek to remain living independently, yet may not have adequate support or round the clock supervision. The company systems are backed by a world class 24/7 emergency response center staffed with licensed, Class B Emergency Medical Technicians who provide assistance and notification to physicians, caregivers, loved ones and paramedics when emergencies arise. Features include medication management, automatic fall detectors, fire, CO, flood and devices that summon assistance if clients become inactive. Please visit us at: http://www.lifesupportmedical.com

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Senior Helpers Has Moved

We're now in Beautiful downtown Round Rock, TX! Stop by and pay us a visit - the coffee is always on.

306 E. Main St.
Suite 103
Round Rock, TX 78664

Elderly at greater risk for fire related deaths

Americans over the age of 65 are one of the groups at greatest risk of dying in a fire. People over the age of 80 die in fires at a rate three times higher than the rest of the population. Many steps can be implemented to reduce becoming a fire casualty.

See My Related Blog Post regarding FREE Smoke Detector Availability here!

Older Americans are at risk for fire death and injuries for a number of reasons:

· They may be less able to take the quick action necessary in a fire emergency.

· They may be on medication that affects their ability to make quick decisions.

· Many older people live alone and when accidents happen others may not be around to help.

When Your Parents Move in with You

Here's a tough one . . . Your Mom and/or Dad has moved in with you. At some point s/he told you s/he wants to pay you something to help defray the cost and you said no. Or maybe when the subject came up and you were uncomfortable and said "let's discuss it later".

I mean. . . what do you say? Your aging loved one is now living with you so s/he is not a guest. In fact, it's even worse than that . . . they're your parents!! After all they've done for you, can you seriously ask them to pay rent? So now s/he has moved in with you and the issue of money has never been resolved.

First of all, repeat after me: "Yes, s/he is my parent but we're not living together as parent and child - we're living together as adults and this is an adult/adult relationship." Please keep this mantra in mind. You might even want to print it out and tape it onto your mirror. 

The High Cost of Growing Older

The High Cost of Growing Older  

Emily Brandon

No doubt, healthcare will be one of your biggest expenses in retirement. Qualifying for Medicare coverage at age 65 will quell some cost and coverage worries. But although Medicare is far more affordable than private health insurance coverage for seniors, the government health insurance program still leaves retirees with significant out-of-pocket costs.

Consider this: A typical 65-year-old married couple without chronic conditions will need $197,000 to pay for out-of-pocket medical costs throughout retirement, according to new calculations by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. That figure includes insurance premiums, services not covered by Medicare, and home healthcare expenses, but it excludes nursing-home care. Retirees also have a 5 percent chance that healthcare costs that are not covered by insurance will exceed $311,000, according to the study, which was underwritten by Prudential. "Regular ongoing out-of-pocket costs can really cumulate over the years," says Anthony Webb, associate director of research at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College and coauthor of the study. "There is no substitute to having a lot of money stashed away."

Other researchers have come up with similarly large numbers. Fidelity Investments estimates that a couple, both age 65 in 2009, will need approximately $240,000 to cover medical expenses throughout retirement. And the Employee Benefit Research Institute determined that a 65-year-old couple in 2009 will need $210,000 to have a 50 percent chance of affording their retiree health expenses and $338,000 to have a 90 percent chance of being able to pay all their medical bills.

These eye-popping numbers are generally a tally of small expenses that add up throughout retirement. Here are the latest estimates of the health expenses most Americans will face.