Which Is Better - Fixed Wall Switches or Wireless Emergency Pendants?

Each has its place. In some circumstances, it may be difficult for a tenant to physically get to a fixed pull chair switch whereas a pendant will work anywhere in an apartment or facility. On the other hand, many independent seniors will resent having to wear a pendant. This will be especially true for seniors who do not feel that they have any immediate or threatening health problems. They may end up throwing it in a drawer and forgetting where it is. A good solution is to install fixed pull switches with hand beaded chains in every apartment and/or the table top call switch. Offer the pendants on an as-needed basis. The facility may consider leasing the pendants to the residents to generate additional monthly income.

If wireless is the option of choice, wireless transmitters may be easily installed on frequently opened doors or drawers such as the refrigerator door, the silverware drawer or bathroom door. If the door is not opened within a selectable time of either twelve or twenty-four hours, an alarm is generated by the computer. These check-in transmitters may be easily installed one at a time on an as-needed basis or all at once when the initial system is installed. If the resident leaves for an extended period of time, the inactivity alarm will activate only once. Then the resident returns and opens the door or drawer, the transmitter will automatically reinstall itself into the daily check-in monitor loop without any action on the part of the staff. This eliminates the possibility of human error and the need for “vacation bookkeeping”.

The following are important considerations when evaluating any wireless emergency call system:

*

SUPERVISION

The system must know if a pendant or transmitter has stopped working or if its battery is low and then alert facility staff. Pendants and transmitters should have the capability of checking in by sending a test signal at least once each minute. Using unsupervised pendants for medical emergency call should not be considered as it will put resident’s lives at risk and create unnecessary exposure and liability for the facility.

*

TOTALLY WIRELESS

The system should be totally wireless and not rely on telephone lines which are an ongoing monthly expense to the facility. Telephone lines are an unnecessary liability and introduce an element of chance into the transmission of a life saving alarm. This is because the signal must rely on passing through local telephone company copper wires to their central station switch and back again to the facility.

*

WORKS ANYWHERE

An emergency call pendant should work anywhere in the facility such as the dining room or exercise room and not be limited to operation only in the resident’s apartment. The system should have the ability to detect pendant activation out-of-doors on the walking trail or at the tennis court.

*

LOCATION DETECTION

The system should be able to provide the general location of the resident. This would be especially true for out-of-doors applications. By adding locators, pendants may be located to within ten feet. A Nurse Call wireless emergency call system SHOULD provide ALL of these important features.

Ultimately the final decision should be on the individual resident. When you decide on a specific emergency call system, it should have the option of both wall mounted and wireless this way you can provide your residents with alternatives to the emergency call system.

CareCaller strives to provide their clients with the best nurse call systems Care Caller achieved this by bringing together the most reliable and innovative hardware with the most experienced and knowledgeable technicians and staff.

Boulder Opal A Great Choice for Pendant Jewelry

Boulder opal is a great alternative to the other two main types of opal: Black opal and White opal. Boulder opal is mostly sold in opal shops as a free form piece of gemstone. That means that the stone has its own individual shape rather than an oval or a circle or a pear shape which black and white opals are normally cut into.

A free form shape will not look like any shape that you recognize but will still be pleasing. Another major difference is that boulder opal will often not be smooth and domed on the top. We call this a cabochon from an old French word which translates to the English word hat. We cut most opals into cabochons because it enhances their color characteristics by allowing the light to enter and exit the stone for maximum effect.

Boulder opal will mostly have an undulating surface of the opal material sitting on a bed or dark brown ironstone. This means that the stone will need to have a jeweler make a special setting for the stone because ready made settings or castings generally come in oval shapes which are made for cabochon cuts of stones and not free form stones.

There are two sub types of boulder opal: seam and matrix. Seam opal is found where the opal material invades cracks in the ironstone rock. When the ironstone boulder is broken apart of by running a bulldozer across it or hitting it with a big hammer the rock will split into two parts. The opal will be in each part.

Matrix opal is where the opal runs in a haphazard fashion throughout the rock. So the actual stone is cut and polished with the opal matrix within it. It makes great opal pendants.

Boulder opal is heavier than black opal or white opal because it often has the ironstone with it so it makes it a little more difficult to make into some kinds of opal jewelry such as an opal ring or opal earrings. Certainly not impossible to make into anything but for pendants it is ideal and it makes up into large opal pendants as well.

Gary Hocking makes custom jewellery specializing in Australian opals. He has his own website http://www.opaljewelryexpress.com Feel free to use this article as long as you keep the bio and the live link to his website.