Whoops "The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to those who wear safety alert pendants around their necks because they may pose a strangulation hazard. The agency says that at least four deaths have been attributed to the devices." [Consumer Reports Safety]
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"I've fawwwwwlllin, annnnd I cannnt geet uhhpppp ! " :chokechokechoke:
Coincidentally, I just ordered Philips Lifeline service for my mother. They, to their credit, fully disclosed this issue and asked questions relating to whether she would have a greater risk of getting tangled in the pendant cord -- things like "does she use a walker, or crutches, or a wheelchair" and such. They do have an alternative wrist-based device for people who are at risk.
Still, you'd think that there would be some way to fix this problem....
Seriously, they make cat collars with little breakaway clasps, they can't stick one of these on the "safety alert" pendants?
@Platypi: OK, now that I actually READ the article, I see they intentionally designed them not to breakaway. Subcutaneous button activation anyone?
It's like rai-heee-aiiiiin on my wedding day.
The FDA said it is aware of at least six reports between 1998 and 2009 of serious injury or death and that more 750,000 people uses it in US and Canada.
That's on 6 serious injuries or deaths in 11 years. That's not that bad.
In this case, the benefits outweigh the negatives.
4 deaths over a 10 year period doesn't exactly sound like a gigantic safety hazard.
ANY necklace could do that. Duuuuuuhhhhhh....
I know it may sound super callous...
But if you can strangle yourself accidentally on your "Safety Alert" Pendant...
maybe your family shouldn't let you live alone.
For what it's worth, you can at least click the help button while you're flailing on the group. My giant wall clock pendant can't do that.
Four deaths in the U.S. in a decade is nothing. Certainly many more lives were saved with pendants than without.
@A Pimp Named DaveR: Not make it a necklace? I'd bet it doesn't have a higher risk than a normal necklace does. Still, it probably saved way more lives than it killed.
At least if you get strangled by your safety alert, you can um, use your safety alert!
@satoru: Yeah, seriously. I bet this is fewer deaths than happy meals caused over the same time period.
@satoru: i'm fairly certain if anything's on the market for that long and has as many sales, a handful of them would kill someone
We got the "wrist watch" version for mom. She wanted something that didn't make her look so silly and she likes being able to have her sweater sleeve cover it a bit.
She's only 65 but recently widowed and terrified to live alone, yet too stubborn and proud to accept moving in with one of the kids. The "safety watch" was a good compromise.
Every cat collar I've ever purchased has a "breakaway" clasp for precisely this reason. BAM, problem solved.
@MichaelBrazell: America's youths are cataloging all of the mistakes of the past generations, then using them to make techno mash-ups.
@TurboWagon00:
I bought a radio scanner to listen to the cops & fire department in 92.
But I discovered that you can also pick up cell call [not much any more. And a couple of electronics mags had written that it was illegal for scanners to receive cell calls].
The first call I heard was a new salesman for one of these companies talking to his sales manager about his first call. He didn't make the sale, but the manager got really emphatic & I actually heard him pound the table when he said "you have to scare the shit out of these old fools & make them think they're going to die without our device & service".
@HaxRomana: You don't want these to easily break away -- that greatly increases the risk that the pendant will be lost/dropped when the person needs it.
Also, not everyone is suitable for the wrist-based button. People who have had, or are prone to, strokes (for example) may not be able to use one of their arms in an emergency -- if they have the button on the wrong arm, they're screwed.
Somewhere, Captain Irony stands, arms akimbo, his cape fluttering handsomely, as he lets loose a bellowing, hearty laugh.