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Posted by Melissa Hincha-Ownby Jul 16, 2008 |
When my daughter was first diagnosed with autism in 2006, my mom suggested that I purchase her a medical alert bracelet. Her reasons for this were twofold: first, my daughter was prone to wander off. Even though there is always an alert adult around her, she’ll still wonder off if your back is turned. Second, she wasn’t very verbal. She didn’t know her name and often wouldn’t engage other adults. If she were to wander off without us noticing, she’d have been able to provide no assistance to anyone who found her.
I researched the various medical alert bracelets available and chose to utilize the services offered by MedicAlert. MedicAlert has been in business since 1956 and has a wide range of products available. One thing that I really liked about MedicAlert is that they don’t print any identifying information on the pendants. My daughter doesn’t understand social boundaries and may mistakenly think that if someone knows her name, then they must know her. Since her name is not printed on the pendant I don’t have to worry about this.
The way the MedicAlert program works is that basic emergency information is printed on the pendant. In my daughter’s case, the pendant has autism, asthma and egg product allergy printed. Her member identification number and a toll-free number is also engraved on the pendant. Emergency responders can call the toll-free number 24x7 to obtain my contact information or any other emergency information that they need.
Even though my daughter is now verbal I am confident that having the MedicAlert bracelet is a safety feature. I do not know how she would respond in an unfamiliar situation and her tendency towards anxiety may render her nonverbal. The MedicAlert bracelet offers me peace of mind.