Shake the Stigma of Medical Alert Devices: Smart Tech in the Digital Age!

In this episode, we dive into the world of medical alert devices where many of us remember the commercial, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up". It can be a stigma that is hard to shake, but the truth is that modern medical alert devices are light-years ahead of the devices advertised in these commercials, etched in our memories. We are joined by Laura Aiello, Vice President of Business Development at LifeStation. Laura shares insights on how these devices have evolved from simple emergency buttons to sophisticated tools that promote independence and safety for seniors.

Tune in to discover how medical alert technology is helping seniors age gracefully in their own homes, and learn about the critical 'golden hour' after a fall. Whether you're a senior looking to maintain your independence or a caregiver seeking peace of mind, this episode offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of senior care technology.

Don't miss out on practical advice about insurance coverage for these devices and tips on choosing the right system for your needs. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in promoting safety and independence for our aging population.

Visit: LifeStation Medical Device Solutions

SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast sponsored by TransMedCare Long Distance Medical Transportation & GoGo Grandparent 855-464-6874 (ext 81714)

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Transcript

Darleen Mahoney [0:20 - 0:37]: And today we are joined by Laura Aiello. She is the vice president and business development at LifeStation who is a leading provider of medical alert and senior care services. Thank you so much for joining us today, Laura. 

Laura Aiello [0:37 - 0:39]: Thank you so much, Darlene. It's such a pleasure to be here. 

Darleen Mahoney [0:40 - 1:44]: Yeah, absolutely. I want to really dig into this because, you know, there's people talk about medical alert or personal safety devices and I want to talk about this because it's something that is a great tool that a caregiver can use. I don't know how you kind of want to word it, but it's to kind of have a peace of mind and also as a safety thing for a senior, seniors can decide to do it on their own as well. So it doesn't have to be like a caregiver decision. And there's such a stigma to it from like the old school help, I can't get up. You know, that's what people always can relate to that I always say, you know, it's ads like that that can, that can install in any advertiser's mind that advertising does work because you can really think about that. And it really rings back. Everybody can picture that time and error, but they've come such a long way. So really understanding what options are available but also understanding why you need them, why it's really important, right? 

Laura Aiello [1:45 - 3:06]: No, you hit the nail on the head. I mean I've been involved in this industry for 18 years and people just know that advertising, we all grew up with those commercials but it really painted this stigma, gave the stigma that if you are aging, you are old and frail and non independent and you're going to have a medical crisis. Does that happen sometimes? Sure it does. It happens to all of us. But for the most part our 65/ community wants to age gracefully, independently in their own homes and just needs to to be able to have a tool that they can be proactive and communicative with. And that's really what a medical alert device is. It's not meant to say, hey, I'm old and I'm going to have this medical emergency. It's meant to help themself and their loved ones who care about them, many from afar, that they have a way to communicate and get the assistance they need. And it doesn't always mean that it's going to be emergency medical assistance. It could be police, it could be fire. It could be that they need to be connected to a home health nurse or a neighbor or even a landlord, that something's going on there's concierge style services now that are attached to these devices. And these devices are modern and sleek. There's so many options out there. So it's so different than the commercials we all knew, right? 

Darleen Mahoney [3:06 - 3:28]: Exactly, exactly. And I think that hopefully some of that stigma is coming full circle or coming off just because I think that younger people are wearing devices that, you know, track their steps, track their heart rate, track all the different things, because there are, you know, those types of things. And young people are utilizing them as well. 

Laura Aiello [3:28 - 3:29]: Absolutely. 

Darleen Mahoney [3:29 - 3:31]: In a totally different way. 

Laura Aiello [3:31 - 3:31]: Yeah. 

Darleen Mahoney [3:32 - 3:34]: Yeah. So it's not this thing anymore, right? 

Laura Aiello [3:34 - 4:11]: It's not. Yeah, you have it. Right. I think, you know, what young people have. We have all the tech and the tools and the apps, and we want every aspect of our life tracked and to get notifications, and it's great. And sometimes the aging community wants that as well, but in a much simpler and easier to use platform. And that's what technology is out there today. We're going to give you these devices that track your steps and tell you your heart rate, you know, and give you the notifications you need. But they don't have a million apps connected to it. There's no downloads, and all these crazy things that need to make them. You know, it's nervous about technology, right? 

Darleen Mahoney [4:11 - 7:20]: Exactly. No, I absolutely love that. And I think it's important to understand why we need them. I know that, you know, some. Some people are utilizing them just because they are staying at home and they're aging in place. And I think it's important to have that because it does provide your family huge peace of mind. I know that I've talked about my dad a lot on this podcast because I was a caregiver for him, and so much happened during that time frame that I'm always hoping that my experience and some of the mistakes I made and some of the things I didn't make that were mistakes I can provide as a resource to people that are listening. They can avoid some of the same pitfalls that I made or some of the things that I didn't do incorrectly. They can really utilize that as well. And one of the things that I was really worried about my dad, who was living at home by himself, and I was so worried about him all the time, and I was an hour and a half away, and I really just didn't know what was going on with him. I think he had sundowners. In fact, I'm pretty certain of it. And he was having some memory issues, but we hadn't had an opportunity to move him anywhere. And I just worried about him all the time and his safety and things like that. So this was a older school, just like a little memory pendant I just wanted. Or a little emergency pendant, nothing fancy. I just wanted him to have something that he could have if something happened to him. Because he also made me insane because he would never pick up the phone. So I would call him constantly. And then you'd get nervous and then I'd get nervous. So then I'm sending people over there because I'm so far away. My son's over in college, so he's leaving class because I'm blowing up his phone saying, I can't get ahold of papa, please go check on him. And then he's sitting in his living room watching tv, you know, and I'm like going. And my son is like, he's perfectly fine. And I'm like, well, he wasn't answering his phone. So it was just. It made me crazy because that's what was happening. So I just asked him, I said, just do this for me. Because he didn't want to do it. He was like, I don't need that. And I told him, I said, just do it for me. So he did do it for me. I pulled on the heartstrings. That's what you have to do sometimes as a daughter. And something had happened one night, I think, because he. I talked to him the next day and he said, thank you so much, I really need this. I really need this. And then he wore that pendant. And in actuality, his dementia progressed and he moved into a community. But he would not take that pendant off, even though it was no longer active because he moved out of his private home and into that community. And it was some kind of a security thing for him because something had absolutely happened. I think probably in the middle of the night. 

Laura Aiello [7:21 - 7:22]: Yeah. 

Darleen Mahoney [7:22 - 7:27]: So there is a definite security for me because once he got that, I felt I slept better. 

Laura Aiello [7:28 - 9:46]: Right? No. And you and me, we are very alike. And so many others out there that are caregivers. Many of us are finding ourselves to be caregivers before we were ready. There is no book or lesson we ever learned in school or in college that could prepare you for how to navigate this time in our life. Especially those in what they call the sandwich generation, where we have our own families and kids and we're working and then we need to also care for our aging loved ones. I had a similar experience I'm going through now with my father in law. We lost My mother in law at 68 years old suddenly and out of the blue and this was a woman he was married to for 50 years. He was healthy, but this sent him into a depression and he stopped doing the things he loved. And he lived alone. And she was everything to him, she did everything. The bills, his life, what clothes he should be wearing. And I suddenly got thrust into this life I wasn't ready for. And I work full an 11 year old son and a husband and he's an hour away from me too, so what can I put in place? And he's the same person, he's not going to look in the mirror and say I want one of these. And sometimes as caregivers and loved ones, we need to say, hey, do this for me, it's for my peace of mind, not yours. And we had a similar scenario where he actually went to get a glass of water in the middle of the night and slipped on the stairs and so many times. And they actually say that someone needs to fall three to four times before they even tell their loved ones that it's happening. And it can mean so many things that are going on, but they don't want to share that, they don't want to be a burden, they don't want to make it seem like something's happening in their health. So 70% of the people that call us are the adult children saying I need to get this for my peace of mind and so that I know they're going to be okay and that I can check in on them. And it's all about communication, right? There's so much social isolation and loneliness in particular. When it came to my father in law, that's what he was dealing with. It wasn't health challenges, it was, he was just lonely for the first time he didn't have his best friend there to chit chat with all day and he just needed a way to be able to communicate. And that's what these devices and this technology is about, It's a connection. 

Darleen Mahoney [9:47 - 10:16]: Yeah, no, you're absolutely right. I mean the same, the same scenario. My mom had just passed away, they were married for over 50 years. And so I think that definitely catapulted him as well is that loneliness and isolation. And it was hard to pull him away from that as well. I mean he didn't want to be a burden and he really, I think he almost found a little solace in that loneliness and isolation because he really wasn't interested in putting himself out there. He just, it was really hard. 

Laura Aiello [10:16 - 10:36]: It is really Hard. And I think when you spoke about, you know, he eventually needed a higher level of care. But if there can be technology that not only gives us as caregivers peace of mind, but allows them to still live in the place that they know where their memories are for even one month, two months, a little bit longer, we're giving that dignity to them. 

Darleen Mahoney [10:37 - 10:49]: Absolutely. As long as you can do that, I say you push that envelope. As long as you can do that. As long as there's no safety issues, concern or safety concerns, I say that they. They stay in their own home as long as possible. 

Laura Aiello [10:49 - 10:50]: I agree. 

Darleen Mahoney [10:50 - 11:29]: Yeah, absolutely. So I want to talk to you a little bit more because we talked about, you know, the pendant the lady laid on the ground, you know, help. I, you know, right. Can't get up. And that's. And my dad had actually, like the old school pendant. It was probably different than what she had at the time, but I've seen so many really quick, cool, different options. So tell me a little bit about what are some of the different options? So if you're thinking about getting this for your loved one or you're thinking about getting it for yourself, that you can use, that you can be out and about and they don't even look like you have one. 

Laura Aiello [11:29 - 12:38]: Yeah. Technology has come such a long way. And for those considering either for themselves or for their loved ones, know that you don't have to wear this big thing around your neck anymore that screams, look what I'm wearing. A medical alert device. They come as necklaces, they come as wristbands, they come as jewelry pendants that look like beautiful costume jewelry. There are smartwatches. So we sell a smartwatch that literally no one would know is a medical alert device. It looks like you're wearing one of those cool watches that tells your steps and your heart rate and gives you the weather and the time. And yes, all of them have the ability to get help, to connect with someone if you need assistance for any reason at all. But it's not just, hey, if I'm having a medical emergency, I need to press this. There also are such cool, different things now with bands and jeweled pendants. All of the different things that can make them feel unique. They can style it however they'd like it. So with our smartwatch, we offer six different bands, but they can also go on Amazon, like all of us do, and get their own bands that they can slip in and just make it a little bit more themselves. 

Darleen Mahoney [12:38 - 12:58]: Yeah, yeah. So when someone is having. So you talked about connection. So and talking to someone. So how would that work with any type of medical device, whether they're inside the home or they're outside the home. So does it work in both locations typically with a medical device? 

Laura Aiello [12:58 - 13:50]: Yeah, that's a great question. The technology exists for both in home devices and mobile devices. And you're really going to have that lifestyle conversation when you call the company to say, hey, you know, this is what my life consists of. I either spend most of my time in and around my home, don't venture out, I don't drive. And an in home device would probably be best suited for you. But if you're someone who's still active, who drives, who goes to, you know, your religious or bingo, whatever you're doing outside of the home and you need to take something with you, then you're going to look at the mobile options. So something that has GPS in it that is just like a cell phone that has its own SIM card in the device and you take it with you as you go. It has nothing to do with your cellular provider or anything that you. It is a self contained device with its own connectivity that just needs a charge. 

Darleen Mahoney [13:51 - 14:35]: Okay. So typically if you were someone that was utilizing a mobile watch and you were out and something were happening and you maybe had a medical issue or maybe a safety issue, if maybe you were out and you felt unsafe, you were walking from the bingo hall to your car or whatever the case may be, and maybe you thought, you know, I can't pull out my cell phone to dial 911 or what have you. How would, what would that look like? What would someone typically do and what would the response be? Would they talk to someone or would it just automatically dial 91 1? Does it track where your location is? Because we know everything can be track where locations are right now. Right. 

Laura Aiello [14:36 - 15:38]: The good thing is when Mary calls to sign up, we're going to know all the information we need to know about Mary and all the stuff she wants us to know. Who's her social circle, who does she need to make sure is aware of what happens with her? Let's say she goes out and she does feel unsafe, she's going to press that pendant and she's going to connect with us and we're going to have a conversation. Because she's wearing a mobile pendant, we can also track where she is and pinpoint that location. So if she's unable to speak for whatever the reason is or we are going to send help to the location from the GPS coordinates and we're going to Stay on that line with her, making sure that she's okay. She can, you know, say. Or she can have a conversation with us and say, hey, I feel unsafe. I need help. Can you stay on the line with me until help gets here? We're also going to know who we need to make aware that this situation is happening. So we're going to connect that social circle for her and make the phone calls to her loved ones in her community, whomever she tells us, so that they're aware of what's going on in real time. 

Darleen Mahoney [15:40 - 15:43]: Yeah, I think that that's great because you can't do that with 911. 

Laura Aiello [15:43 - 16:30]: No, 911 is going to get you help. Absolutely. But they're not going to then call your loved ones. They're also not going to have conversations with you that aren't emergencies. Right. Our 911 centers are amazing, and they are overwhelmed with calls. Most of the calls and the button activations we get are not because people need emergency services. They need other help. They have other questions. They need us to connect them with other people in their life that's going to help get them to what they need. 911 can't do that. And I think that's a distinction that really needs to be made. I hear so many times people saying, oh, my mom has a cell phone. She'll just use her cell phone. Well, number one, how many times maybe me and you have our cell phone on us all the time, but our aging loved ones don't carry it around as religiously as we do. 

Darleen Mahoney [16:30 - 16:32]: And, and hence my dad as an example. 

Laura Aiello [16:32 - 16:34]: Right. You never picked up your phone? 

Darleen Mahoney [16:34 - 16:40]: No, it's in his. It's in his car. He's sitting in the house. He left it in the car because he's just not attached to it. 

Laura Aiello [16:40 - 16:40]: Right. 

Darleen Mahoney [16:40 - 16:46]: And no one has home phones anymore. I mean, even aging people do not, not a lot have home phones. 

Laura Aiello [16:46 - 17:18]: It is very rare. You're going to still find that in the most rural towns in our country where cell service is not quite there, but more and more that that's getting close to none. And so you say if you have something that's on you, on your person, always going to be working, and with you, you don't then have to remember to have your phone on you. Charge it, open it, swipe it, undo your lock, call 91 1. That's hard, especially if you're in a vulnerable situation when you can simply press a button and just start talking. Right, Right. 

Darleen Mahoney [17:20 - 17:44]: So let me ask you this. So if you're on the phone or you've pressed a pendant, or you press your pendant because you feel unsafe or you don't feel well or whatever the case may be and they're talking to you. Can they do a three way call with like your daughter and you know that person that works for the company that is the emergency pendant company? Is that something. 

Laura Aiello [17:44 - 18:24]: It all depends on the person's personal emergency plan and what products they have. We can do so many different things. The technology is there. We can warm transfer calls to a pharmacist or a home health nurse. We can bring in a loved one to have that conversation or we can simply call somebody that they're asking us to call and have them go check out or what's going on or call them back. There's so much different technology. I mean we work with different people that we are going to call a hospice nurse for example, because they need to go over and they need to see what's going on. And we can't dispatch emergency services when someone's under the care of hospice. So it's going to depend on the unique lifestyle and circumstances for the member. 

Darleen Mahoney [18:25 - 18:27]: So it really is a personalized plan. 

Laura Aiello [18:27 - 18:27]: It is. 

Darleen Mahoney [18:28 - 18:42]: So that's what really, really makes it unique to that specific person because you really do dig in and kind of get to know what their needs are, what's going on in their life, some of their maybe diagnoses as far as like some of their physical ailments that they may already have pre existing. 

Laura Aiello [18:43 - 18:45]: Yeah, it's not what to expect. 

Darleen Mahoney [18:45 - 18:45]: Right. 

Laura Aiello [18:45 - 18:52]: It's never one size fits all because every single person has different circumstances and different wants and needs in their life. 

Darleen Mahoney [18:52 - 19:15]: Yeah, yeah, no, that's, that's absolutely perfect. So as far as like doing any type of basic wellness checks or anything like that, is that something that's part of the personal device program or services that are provided? Is that something that's typical? 

Laura Aiello [19:16 - 20:00]: So I think that's a great question. When you are looking for a provider, you have to determine what you need. Some people just need a standard device. Some people want to make sure, like us as caregivers that there's lots of caregiver services or there's extra features. For example, there are proactive wellness checks. There are medication reminders. We have push notifications through our watch that we can send a daily hey, remember to eat breakfast today. For members that have some food insecurities or they just need gentle reminders, there are lots of different extras and not every company offers all of them. So I think it matters reminders to what's important to you and looking up that that company can service all of your unique needs. 

Darleen Mahoney [20:02 - 20:09]: So my thought is what's probably important to a lot of people are medication reminders. Is that something that's included those medication reminders? 

Laura Aiello [20:09 - 21:16]: So, medication reminders, we have two different types at LifeStation, which is we offer a device that is a medication management system. It's a dispenser and organizer that gives notifications to loved ones in particular on missed dosages. So, like, if you were looking with your dad, you would have known that devices were missed because you would have got notifications on that and been able to handle it at that time. We also can schedule calls and text message or SMS messages for reminders without having a device. So if it's something as simple as, hey, at 8:00am Every morning, we need a notification to go out as a reminder to take medication because it's more of a gentle nudge. There is that gray period of time that I believe before someone needs a higher level of care and someone really watching them swallow that medication. So it's just about, hey, do you just need a reminder and something to organize your pills or are you at the point where you actually need someone going in to administer them? So during that time, that's where it's really important to get your medical alert device and to make sure that you can have these extra services. 

Darleen Mahoney [21:17 - 21:55]: Yeah, that is incredible. I absolutely love that. And I know I've talked about my dad and his medications on my multiple podcasts, but I would have done that all day long if that was something that I had known about or was an option at that point. He made me crazy with his medications. And as most of our listeners know, that care for an aging parent or if you are getting into the stage where you're aging, you start realizing that every time you go to the doctor, for some reason you walk out with a new prescription. So they just keep. I'm just like, oh, you just go to the doctor every year just so you can find out what the new prescription of the year is going to be. Because I feel like every time you go, they'll find something new wrong with you. 

Laura Aiello [21:56 - 22:23]: Of course. And it's like, okay, let's do this again. Let's start over. But there is that period of time I always, I think about my son and his vitamins. I can't tell you how many times I found them hidden behind the couch. I said, I thought you took that. So if I could have had him, I would have needed to see swallow it. Unfortunately. But it's just so helpful to be able to say everything's organized. We can add as many as we need. And we're going to remind you this many times a day so that you don't forget. 

Darleen Mahoney [22:24 - 22:29]: And you don't want them taking that more than once because they forgot that they've already taken it. 

Laura Aiello [22:29 - 22:29]: Right? 

Darleen Mahoney [22:30 - 22:41]: Yeah. Yeah. Or taking some of it, but not all of it. And then you have a problem with that as well. So. Yeah. That can really just be. The medication thing to me is a scary, hot mess. It just really, truly is. 

Laura Aiello [22:41 - 22:54]: It's very scary. And especially with the amount of medication, it gets very confusing. And if it varies each day which ones they take, some are not every day. It can be a really scary trying time. Yeah. 

Darleen Mahoney [22:54 - 23:07]: And especially with some of it, what it's for. I mean, if it's. If it has to do with blood pressure and blood thinning and all these different types of things. Oh, my gracious. I mean, you have to be really careful with that. You just can't. That's not, you know, things that you can wing. 

Laura Aiello [23:07 - 23:07]: Right. 

Darleen Mahoney [23:07 - 23:10]: It's not like taking, you know, a Motrin. 

Laura Aiello [23:10 - 23:29]: But wouldn't it be great then, because your dad may have not wanted to call you because he would have been that burden in his mind of asking you again for this umpteenth time about your pills. But if he could have pressed his button and said, hey, can you connect me to the pharmacist? Because I forgot when I'm supposed to take this pill and someone could have done that for him, that would have been really great, you know? 

Darleen Mahoney [23:29 - 23:34]: Right, Right. My dad never wanted to look like he was getting old. 

Laura Aiello [23:35 - 23:35]: Yeah. 

Darleen Mahoney [23:35 - 23:42]: And he never wanted to admit that he was forgetting anything. So I think he made great strides in covering both of those up. 

Laura Aiello [23:43 - 23:43]: Yeah. 

Darleen Mahoney [23:43 - 23:47]: So. And the more he tried, the more it looked like he was having problems. 

Laura Aiello [23:47 - 23:51]: So. Yeah. Sometimes the COVID up is even worse than just a. 

Darleen Mahoney [23:51 - 23:57]: It is. We lived in sticky note world and different things. I'm like, why so many sticky notes? 

Laura Aiello [23:58 - 23:58]: So. 

Darleen Mahoney [23:58 - 24:38]: Yes, yes, absolutely. So one of the things I also wanted to just kind of ask is, so if you've decided to make this decision, so you have to kind of look at what your needs are. You have to look at your lifestyle, you have to look at what your budgets are because clearly some of it's going to be budget driven as well. But you can utilize if you're good at. If you're still active, but you're also going to be at home, you can maybe do kind of A hybrid. So you have some things that are home based and some things that are GPS based. So while you're charging, you have something that you don't need to charge for. Is that kind of. 

Laura Aiello [24:38 - 26:19]: Well, I think most. So our devices work both in and outside the home that are mobile and they actually have really long battery life, which I think is great. And another reason why you shouldn't just use your cell phone, because if you're on it all the time, you need to charge that daily. We always suggest, hey, middle of the afternoon, having a cup of tea, drop it in the charger for 45 minutes. But our battery lasts five days, so they don't. It's not something they constantly need to charge and remember. And they could use it inside their home. Right. They don't have to switch to another device or think about, wait, which one do I need when I'm going in and out? It's just one simple, small device. And I think that there's some other important things people should consider. Obviously you mentioned price. You know, you meant things like fall detection. Are you someone that maybe is really prone, high risk of falls, perhaps you have severe arthritis and you don't have the dexterity to press a pendant. So you want devices that can come with technology that can detect that a fall has occurred and automatically call the company for you. Those are important things. Also multilingual support. We live in a country where so many different cultures and voices, we don't all speak English. So we want to make sure when you are in these scary, vulnerable situations or just have questions that you're going to be answered in the way you know how to listen and speak. So does the company that you're working with have the capability to talk to you in a variety of different languages? And in particular, did the devices speak to you in different languages? Because it's got to be the scariest thing to press something and not understand what it's saying to you. 

Darleen Mahoney [26:20 - 26:28]: Right? Right. So you just mentioned something that just literally like, ding, ding, ding, ding. For me, the fall risk. 

Laura Aiello [26:29 - 26:29]: Yeah. 

Darleen Mahoney [26:30 - 27:00]: Is huge. And I can't express how often I have. I have just absolutely, really want people to understand that if you are a fall risk or even if you don't know that you're a fall risk and you have one single fall, it can literally change the course of your life once you have that fall. I mean, it can dehabilitate you from someone that can take the GPS and you can go out and play pickleball, or you can go to bingo, or you can do all these things to now where you're the person who can't. 

Laura Aiello [27:01 - 27:01]: Yeah. 

Darleen Mahoney [27:01 - 27:40]: Do all of those things independently. So really having a safe home environment is something that I always really want to drive home to folks. But to be able to get help quickly after a fall, because once you do fall, if you don't have that safety net of being able to have someone come and help you, you could literally be on that floor for multiple days or however long it takes for someone to come over to check on you. If you're living alone, it really is so important. And the longer you lay there, the harder it is, the longer your recovery is going to be. That's just the facts. 

Laura Aiello [27:40 - 28:31]: They call it the golden hour right after a fall. The quicker you can get help and you can get back on your feet or get the help you need, the less chances you are to have a long stay in the hospital and you have a better chance of recovery. And you said it. Nobody in the world should have a fall, simply not be able to get up. And because they live alone, they're not going to be heard from until a neighbor checks in on them or the postman says, do a wellness check. This mail is piling up in this mailbox. No one deserves that, especially not when there's things like medical alert devices out there for very inexpensive prices per month and in many cases covered by so many different insurances, not even that someone needs to pay for it to be able to get that help. So within minutes of the incident you can get help and hopefully be on your way to a full recovery. 

Darleen Mahoney [28:32 - 28:39]: Yeah. So is that something that people that are interested in this, they should reach out to their insurance company and kind of find out what's covered and what's not. 

Laura Aiello [28:39 - 29:15]: They absolutely should because this device is covered. So if you are on Medicaid in your state, most likely you can get it covered. Certain Medicare Advantage plans. So it's not a covered benefit for Medicare, straight Medicare, but if you're on Medicare Advantage, many times it's covered. There are lots of different insurances or adult programs like PACE in certain states. If you go to their centers that can cover it. So there's so many opportunities to either get it fully covered or at a significant discount. They should absolutely always be talking to their case managers and social workers about what programs they have available to them. 

Darleen Mahoney [29:16 - 29:21]: Yeah, absolutely. And we'll include some of those links as well to. I think we have. It's Pace. Is it? 

Laura Aiello [29:21 - 29:27]: Pace.org I believe for their local pay centers in their communities. They can Check that out. Absolutely. 

Darleen Mahoney [29:27 - 29:55]: Yeah, absolutely. We'll include that link in the description of the podcast as well. No, those are great, great tips and I think that that's fabulous that you can look into that and see if there's going to be some financial help on that end. So checking into that prior to making some those initial conversations or calls, but definitely looking into what meets your needs. But the fall risk, I think that that should meet everyone's needs, to be honest with you. 

Laura Aiello [29:55 - 30:24]: I think that's really. Absolutely. And you talked about home mods too, which are so important. I think what some people don't think about, especially from a caregiver perspective, is the data that comes with this. Right. So medical or companies know where how many times the person fell. They could tell you where they fell in their home. So if all of a sudden we know that Mary fell four times last month in her bathroom, they it might be that a home modification is needed. Maybe she needs more grab bars and that can actually do the trick to help her. 

Darleen Mahoney [30:24 - 30:29]: Yeah, or that zero entry shower climbing in and out of those old school tubs. 

Laura Aiello [30:29 - 30:29]: Yes. 

Darleen Mahoney [30:30 - 30:58]: Unless you got baby to wash, you don't need anymore. You do not need a tub. No, you do not. Absolutely. So I did want you to share a little bit about lifestation. We've worked with you guys for a while now, for several years doing some different events and multiple states and so we see the see you there quite often and we've seen your devices and you just have such a quite quite array of really incredible devices. 

Laura Aiello [30:58 - 30:59]: Thank you. 

Darleen Mahoney [30:59 - 31:18]: So just tell me a little bit before you sign off on the podcast. I do want you to share what your company offers and definitely share the link to your website so that our listeners, if they are interested in pursuing this or looking further into some of the devices that you offer and the solutions you have that they can access you directly. 

Laura Aiello [31:18 - 32:47]: Thank you so much. You know I am, I think I mentioned earlier, I've been with this company for 18 years. I'm so proud of us. We are a private family owned company that really is known for our white glove service and you know, family style approach. We care about every single one of our members at Lifestation. When you have one of our devices, you're not a customer to us. You're part of our family and your extended family, your loved ones and your caregivers really become our family as well. And all of the people we serve, we always want to make sure we're doing right by them. So if it's bringing on new products, bringing on our newest Spanish Pearl, a device that speaks exclusively Spanish, we listen and we learn. We want to make sure that we're filling the needs that our members want. Because like we said earlier, it's really hard to convince our loved ones to wear these devices, in particular with the advertising that has been going on for 30 years. So if we can create and get more modern, sleek technology, if we can meet them where they're at and give them the devices that speak how they want to be spoken to, and we can connect their caregivers in a way that really helps people like you and me continue to live our life and stay connected to our loved ones. That's what we're all about at LifeStation. So we are looking forward to having more lifestyle conversations and seeing what you need and making sure that we can deliver. And you could find us at www.lifestation.com. 

Darleen Mahoney [32:48 - 33:07]: Thank you so much. That's absolutely fabulous. I love it. And that link will be in the description of the podcast as well. And thank you so much for sharing all of the information you shared with our listeners today. I'm hoping they can take some of those nuggets and apply it to their lives, increase the safety of their loved ones as well. 

Laura Aiello [33:08 - 33:12]: I so appreciate you having me on and I look forward to expanding our family with your listeners. 

Darleen Mahoney [33:13 - 33:30]: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for joining. If you enjoyed this podcast, please find us and listen anywhere. You listen to podcasts such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods. We are on BabyBoomer.org we are in all kinds of places. Thank you for listening.