Telephone landlines are disappearing at an increasingly fast rate and many alarm monitoring systems in the security and fire industries are being upgraded to transmit signals over the Internet or Cellular networks instead.
This is readily acceptable for security systems, however, the medical monitoring industry has so far flatly rejected such technology and is at risk of being left behind.
Technological Advances in Senior Safety Monitoring
Senior Safety is a serious subject as peoples lives are at stake. The vast majority of Senior Safety equipment is connected to a Monitoring Center using PSTN landlines. One hundred percent trust is placed on the availability of the network due to the fact that is has proven itself over many years to be a very reliable communication path.
There is no disputing that it is reliable, however, there is also no disputing that it can, and does fail. The Medical Monitoring industry must not lose sight of the fact that technology is constantly advancing and any new inventions that improve what we have already should be taken seriously and evaluated thoroughly.
One such technology is the Internet. It allows a Central Station to supervise the connection to remotely monitored medical equipment. Ten years ago, the old boys in the Healthcare industry were justified in their concerns about the availability and up-time of the network. Today, the Monitoring Center get to know within 90 seconds if the communication path to the medical equipment has failed, whereas a system monitored over a landline could be unavailable for days before anyone gets to find out.
Internet technology has brought along something called VoIP (voice over Internet protocol). It allows people to talk over their Internet connection at low rates and sometimes for free. Caregivers have started to ask about operating senior safety equipment alongside VoIP. The reason for the question is clear. It allows care givers to save a large amount of money each month for the rental of a telephone landline.
Changes in the Healthcare Plan demand cost savings. Cancellation of a landline in favor of VoIP service is one area where savings can amount to hundreds of dollars per year. The objection that "my medical monitoring system will not work without my landline" may have fallen on sympathetic ears in the past, but as the "powers that be" learn that this is no longer the case, it will become increasingly difficult to justify holding on to a dying technology.