Help Button FAQ – SafeCall Medical Alert and Alarm Systems

Get answers to your questions about senior medical alert systems, senior medical alarms and the CareLink personal emergency response system. SafeCall senior monitoring systems and alarms require no maintenance and feature battery backups.

How quickly can I get CareLink Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) service?
Does Medicare or Medicaid pay for senior monitoring systems and services?
How do I speak with the Support Center operators?
What if they can’t hear me?
Who gets called if I need help?
Do I need a special phone line?
I have heard that internet phones don’t always work with senior medical alert systems. Is this true?
What sort of maintenance does the CareLink PERS equipment need?
What if I lose electricity?
Will the CareLink personal emergency response system work if I am on the phone?
Do I have to test the system?
What if I push the alarm button by mistake?
How would you describe the CareLink equipment?
My father-in-law takes his alarm off to shower, then forgets to put it back on. Can it get wet? Can he leave it on?

Click here for faqs about Pill Reminders.

How quickly can I get CareLink personal emergency response system service? We can activate personal emergency response system services within 24-48 hours in Kent County, Michigan. Internet orders are shipped within 24 hours.

Back to top

Does Medicare or Medicaid pay for senior monitoring systems and services? Medicare does not pay for these services. Medicaid Home-Based Waiver does offer payment for both CareLink and CareMed senior medical alert systems, however enrollment in that program is very limited. Contact the Area Agency on Aging in your state for more information about availability. For more information on the Medicaid Waiver, go to the AAAWM link or HHS Health Options link on our Home Safety Resources page (available in west Michigan only). Payment for senior medical alarms and senior monitoring systems is usually made by the subscriber, family members or other interested parties. In some cases, private insurance will pay for services following a covered accident. An Insurance Case Manager will need to give approval for this service.

Back to top

How do I speak with the Support Center operators? You just speak in a normal tone from the room you are in. CareLink’s powerful microphone can pick up voices all around your home. You will be able to hear the Support Center operators throughout your home as well.

Back to top

What if they can’t hear me? Every call is treated like a call for help. If you activate CareLink from outside your home, our Support Center operators will call your personal responders for assistance. They will already have your name, address, directions to the home, medical history and responder listing. It really isn’t necessary for them to speak with you in order to send assistance.

Back to top

Who gets called if I need help? Our Support Center operators will call your personal responders initially. These are family, friends, neighbors and others. We can call them at home, at work, on their pager or cell phone. We regularly update your responder list so that we don’t waste time calling a wrong number. Your local ambulance service will also get called if you need medical assistance, or if we are unable to reach any of your personal responders.

Back to top

Do I need a special phone line? No. Your standard phone line will work with our services. CareLink plugs in like an answering machine so you don’t lose the use of your current telephone. Homes equipped with Digital Signal Lines (DSL) for internet use, require a special filter available at most electronic stores. Phone service carried over the internet (VOIP) is generally compatible with CareLink with some limitations. Please see the next question for more details. Cellular phones do not work with CareLink.

Back to top

I have heard that internet phones don’t always work with senior medical alert systems. Is this true? An increasing number of seniors are canceling their landline telephone and replacing it with DIGITAL PHONE SERVICE. Some digital suppliers provide a modem with an integrated phone jack, which generally works for CareLink service (please note that you should test it as manufacturers and equipment vary).

Consumers and industry experts agree that digital phone services severely impact the reliability of analog dialing systems including senior medical alarms and alert systems like CareLink by interfering with their ability to report to the monitoring stations. Although digital phone services are excellent for voice communication, they are simply not suited for transmitting analog data consistently. Part of the problem lies in the way an analog phone signal is treated within a digital phone system. The other part of the problem will become more prevalent with the popularity of digital phone systems. Increased phone traffic AND internet browsing (because they both use the same transmission lines) reduce the signal capability of the high-speed lines. You won’t hear the loss of quality in a phone conversation our ears aren’t sensitive enough to hear a difference. But senior monitoring systems like CareLink can be affected.

SafeCall’s solution to this problem is called Sparrow2. Click here to learn more.

Back to top

What sort of maintenance does the CareLink PERS equipment need? Absolutely none. CareLink runs self-tests automatically to the CareLink Center which report its condition. If there is an equipment problem, such as following a power surge or lightning strike, we replace the system for free. The only charges would result from lost equipment.

Back to top

What if I lose electricity? All of our services feature battery backups. Services will continue even without power for up to 24 hours.

Back to top

Will the CareLink personal emergency response system work if I am on the phone? Yes. The service takes control of the phone line to send its signal. The personal emergency response system will disconnect the optional phone plugged into CareLink. If you are concerned about other phones being left off the hook, which could interfere with CareLink’s operation, click here for more information.

Back to top

Do I have to test the system? Yes. SafeCall encourages you to test CareLink at least monthly. You simply push the button, and tell the operators that you are testing when they answer. That’s all.

Back to top

What if I push the alarm button by mistake? That’s OK. Simply tell the operator that everything is OK and that you don’t need any help. There are no charges for false alarms.

Back to top

How would you describe the CareLink equipment? The personal medical alarm pendant is small, lightweight and waterproof, so you can wear it when you wash dishes or bathe. It can be worn around the neck or on your wrist like a watch. For those with movement limitations, we have a variety of adaptive switches that offer great flexibility in using CareLink. The base unit is the size of an answering machine and sits on a table or hangs on a wall. It plugs into a standard electric outlet and phone jack.

Back to top

My father-in-law takes his alarm off to shower, then forgets to put it back on. Can it get wet? Can he leave it on? The pendant activator is waterproof regardless of being worn on the wrist or arm. He should wear it in the shower as well as in bed. He can simply dry it off when he's done bathing.

Back to top

Serving the world from Kent County, Michigan.