Wireless Intercom for the Elderly or Disabled

If you are looking for a wireless intercom to use with an elderly or disabled person there are several solutions you can look at. Which one is right for you depends on your situation.

Wireless Radio Frequency Communication:
MURS Multi-Mile Wireless Intercoms

The MURS Multi-Mile Wireless Intercom system is a long range wireless intercom that can be used for communication at distances of miles instead of feet like other wireless intercoms. You can even add external antennas to increase the range. In the Multi-Mile product line, there is a fixed base station intercom and a handheld two way radio that allows for mobility. This system can be used for in home or between houses.

If the elderly or disabled person and the caregiver live in nearby houses, these intercoms can be used for quick communication between them. To use them simply press the "PTT" button to talk and let go to listen.

You can use as many of these devices together as you want in any combination you want.

While you may see a Monitor button on the base intercom, this feature does not work like a baby monitor and cannot be used to continuously monitor an area around the intercom. The FCC does not allow continuous transmit in the MURS frequencies. This feature is only used to monitor for conversations on the channels before you transmit.

Telephone Line Communication:
Elderly Emergency Alert Intercom
The Elderly/Disabled Emergency Alert Intercom, or Emergency Alert for short, is a system that enables the elderly or disabled person to call you over phone lines via a a small pendant intercom around their neck, on their belt, or attached to a wheelchair. It gives its user 2-way speaker phone communication to family, friends, or neighbors, at any time from anywhere in or around their home. The caregiver can be on a cell phone or landline phone anywhere in the world.

Up to four contact numbers can be programmed in the unit and if all four are unreachable, then the call can go to 911.

No monthly fees are required with this device so it can save you a lot of money over monitored services that many elderly people use. The range is said to be up to 600 feet, but this range will very depending on several factors such as building construction.

Optional accessories include additional pendants as well as a wall mount wireless water resistant device that provides two way communication. You can mount this device next to a bed-side table or even next to the shower in the bathroom.

Amazon Echo

This is the solution that provides way more than just two way communication, plus it is activated via voice commands. That makes is the perfect system for people who are quadriplegic, vision impaired (blind), disabled, or elderly. The product is called Echo and there are several versions of it, but the least expensive one that does the trick is the Echo Dot.

This main downside of this system is that it does require Internet service and a Wi-Fi router and it does require an account at Amazon since they provide a service called Alexa to run Echo. This account could be yours and you set up all devices under your account (even if they aren't located in the same city). This solution also requires the person that sets it up to have a smartphone and the Alexa app. However, the smartphone is not needed for using the system. Any changes that need to be made to the system can be done from remote locations so if you are setting up a system for your elderly parents, for instance, you can use your smartphone to manage their system even if they are in another part of the country/world. You would need to be at their residence on the initial hardware setup since you will have to connect it to their router.

For intercom, Echo has a "Drop In" feature that allows you to call other Echo devices in your system that are set up to receive calls. So you name each Echo device something that's appropriate for the location, like Kitchen, Office, or Master Bedroom and when you are near any of the Echo devices, like the Office, you can simply say "Alexa, drop in Kitchen" and you will be instantly connected. Anyone in the kitchen can just reply to your call without touching anything. When done you just say "Alexa, hang up." So you never have to touch a single button.

Use can also use Echo to call phones as long as the person you want to call is in your contact list. All you have to do is say "Alexa, call Mom" and it will dial Mom's phone number. Then you can talk hands-free though your Echo device.

If you also want a video screen there is the Echo Spot or Echo Show. These can be used with video doorbells so you can talk and see who is at the front door without having to go to the front door.

If you are interested in this solution click the Shop now button on the image below.

Author: David Onslow