HOME EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM IN COMPARISON – WHY ALARM BUTTONS, EMERGENCY BUTTONS, AND WATCHES FAIL IN 8 OUT OF 10 EMERGENCIES

Who doesn’t know the alarm button or the emergency button for seniors, as well as the amulets, emergency watches, and the common intercoms? Probably the best-known home emergency call system is the emergency button – also known as the alarm button – that seniors wear around their wrists—an invention from the 1970s that can still be found in private households today. However, digitalization brings other and, above all, more reliable options, such as the contactless and intelligent emergency call system safe-living. This article compares safe-living with traditional home emergency call systems and shows why the emergency button for seniors or alarm button (unfortunately) often fails. 

Conventional home emergency call systems: alarm buttons, wristbands, and watches 

Conventional home emergency call systems are active systems that require users to press a button to request help. Users usually wear an emergency bracelet or necklace with an emergency button or alarm button. When pressed, the device sends a radio signal to the base station, which automatically connects to the emergency call center. 

But what happens if you, for some reason, can’t press the alarm button? What if the emergency button is not currently charged, you aren’t wearing it, or in an emergency, you can’t even remember that you have such a button? The answer is obvious: if no alarm is triggered, the affected person will be left without help. This risk is underlined by a study by the British Journal of Medicine, which shows that the emergency button (alarm button) is not pressed in 8 out of 10 cases. 

Emergency call devices such as buttons, amulets, and bracelets can not only have a stigmatizing effect and constantly remind us of one’s own fragility, but they also pose practical problems. These devices either fail at the critical moment, as mentioned earlier, or they trigger false alarms. All too often, the button is activated unintentionally, for example, during sleep, by simply turning or accidentally hitting the wrist on a piece of furniture. Such incidents result in unwanted emergency calls and reinforce the discomfort of many users towards such devices. 

Contactless and intelligent emergency call systems 

Contactless and intelligent emergency call systems work differently: they automatically call for help in emergencies without the affected person having to carry or trigger anything. An example of such a solution is safe-living. Safe-living stands for a holistic, safe life that is ideal for people of different ages and life situations. Safe-living includes unique motion detectors that can simply be placed on a piece of furniture in a few rooms. In the event of an emergency, safe-living automatically alerts. These can be, for example, falls, unusually long stays in the bathroom, or when residents can no longer move. But suspicious events such as burglaries are also detected. And all this without a camera and microphone. The call for help is made via the associated 24/7 emergency call center. 

For on-the-go, safe-living also offers a supplementary app that can also be used to trigger the call for help actively. The exact location is automatically sent to the 24/7 emergency call center via GPS. Safe-living not only offers more security at home and on the go but also preserves independence and, thus, the quality of life. 

What about false alarms in this system? This is precisely where the advantage of an intelligent system such as safe-living becomes apparent: it can reliably distinguish between everyday activities – such as cooking, eating, sleeping – pets and, for example, grandchildren playing, as well as actual emergencies. In the event of a possible emergency, a preventive alarm is sounded to ensure maximum safety. Users also have the option of canceling the alarm at any time, which is often not possible with traditional home emergency call systems such as the emergency button or alarm button. 

• Automatic alerting: safe-living automatically calls for help in emergencies without the user having to carry or operate anything. 
• No stigmatization: safe-living is discreet and inconspicuous. The emergency detectors are similar to smoke detectors and fit seamlessly into the living environment. The accompanying app also offers a digital SOS button. 
• Independence and quality of life: Through the automatic alarm and the possibility to cancel the alarm, safe-living preserves the users’ independence. This allows them to lead an independent and self-determined life.