THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 Page 15 Revere Board of Health Vaccinates 380 Seniors in another Successful Clinic Volunteers and staff at the City’s COVID-19 vaccine hotline have made contact with 1,400+ residents in fi rst week of outreach O n Friday, February 5, the Revere Board of Health hosted its fi fth vaccination clinic at the Rumney Marsh Academy, this time providing a fi rst dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to 380 Revere residents aged 75 and older as part of the Commonwealth’s Phase 2 distribution protocol. Residents vaccinated on Friday will receive their second dose the week of March 1. In partnership with the City of Chelsea and Town of Winthrop, the Board of Health will administer 600 second doses for Revere fi rst responders later this week. As part of the City’s «Reach Every Senior» campaign, volunteers and staff at the COVID-19 vaccine hotline have made contact with more than 1,400 residents over the age of 75, informing them of the vaccination options available to them and assisting them in making an appointment as needed. Of the residents contacted to-date, nearly 60 percent reported already having an appointment, or were assisted in making an appointment. A multilingual mailer will be sent to all Revere households in the coming days to provide contact information for each of the currently available, local vaccination options. For example, the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center clinic at the Revere PACE Center vaccinated more than 200 seniors in its fi rst two days of operation last week. The PACE Center site is available to all residents currently eligible for a vaccine under the state’s phased distribution protocol. Enjoying the Snow How to Choose a Medical Alert System Dear Savvy Senior, I am interested in getting my mom, who lives alone, a medical alert system with a wearable pendant button that will let her call for help if she falls or has a medical emergency. What can you tell me to help me choose one? Too Many Choices Dear Too Many, A good medical alert system is an eff ective and aff ordable tool that can help keep your mom safe and living in her own home longer. But with all the diff erent products and features available today, choosing one can be challenging. Here are some tips that can help. Three Key Questions Medical alert systems, which Joseph Biasella, 7, bounces on the trampoline, despite snowy conditions on Sunday. Revere resident Emily Alvarez, 8, is catching snowfl akes on her tongue outside of her home during Sunday’s snowstorm. (Courtesy photo, Maddy Alvarez) have been around since the 1980s, provide a wearable help button – usually in the form of a neck pendant or wristband – that would put your mom in touch with a dispatcher who could summon emergency help or contact a friend or family member as needed. To help you narrow down your options and choose a system that best fi ts your mom’s needs, here are three key questions you’ll need to ask, along with some toprated companies that off er these products. Does your mom want a homebased or mobile system? Medical alert systems were originally designed to work inside the home with a landline telephone, which is still an option. But since fewer and fewer households have landlines these days, most companies today also off er home-based systems that work over a cellular network. With these systems, pressing the wearable help button allows you to speak to a dispatcher through a base unit located in your home. In addition, many companies offer mobile medical alert options, too. You can use these systems at home, but they’ll also allow you to call for help while you’re out and about. Mobile alerts operate over cellular networks and incorporate GPS technology. They allow you to talk and listen to the operator directly through the pendant button, and because of the GPS, your location would be known in order for help to be sent. If your mom doesn’t leave the house very often, she may not need a mobile system, but if she is still active, she may want added protection outside the home. Should her system be monitored or not? The best medical alert systems are monitored, meaning that the help button connects you with a trained operator at a 24/7 dispatching center. But you also have the option to choose a system that isn’t monitored. With these, when you press the help button, the device automatically dials a friend or family member on your programmed emergency call list. These products can often be set up to call multiple people and to contact emergency services if you don’t get an answer from someone on your list. Should you add a fall-detection feature? Most medical alert companies today now off er the option of an automatic fall detection pendant for an additional fee of $10 to $15 per month. These pendants sense falls when they occur and automatically contact the dispatch center, just as they would if you had pressed the call button. But be aware that this technology isn’t full proof. In some cases, this feature may register something as a fall that isn’t. The alarm might go off if you drop it or momentarily lose your balance but don’t actually land on the ground. Top Rated Systems Here are four top companies, rated by Consumer Reports that offer home and mobile monitored medical alert systems: Bay Alarm Medical: Fees range between $20 and $40 per month; BayAlarmMedical.com; 877-5229633. GreatCall’s Lively Mobile Plus: The device costs $50 plus a $25 to $40 monthly service fee; GreatCall.com; 800-650-5921. MobileHelp: Monthly fees run $20 to $45; MobileHelp.com; 800809-9664. Phillips Lifeline: $30 to $50/ month, plus a onetime device/activation fee of $50 to $100; Lifeline. Philips.com; 855-681-5351. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, Making ‘Mr. Biltim,’ the snowman, are North Revere residents Michael Biasella, 8, Joseph Biasella, 7, and Marcus Jones, 12. (Photos Courtesy of JJ Jones Jr. Photography) P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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