subject: Different Types Of A Medical Alert Bracelet [print this page] The original medical alert bracelet was brought to market almost 50 years ago. It resembled the then popular ID bracelets worn by high school and college students. Most of the designs were fairly simple with a large thick metal faceplate and the name of the medication you were allergic to emblazoned in large letters so that anyone could read it easily.
The original bracelets were big and clunky so as not to be missed. They resembled the then popular identification or ID bracelets that teenagers wore. There was a thick metal chain, or bracelet, that wrapped around the wrist and a flat face plate on which a drug or chronic medical condition could be stated.
The new style of ID bracelets had to take privacy issues into account. People did not want this type of personal information blatantly exposed to the public even if it meant it could save their lives. New technology quickly came to the rescue and rather than have a medical problem printed onto bracelets for all to see, a microchip was implanted inside the bracelet itself. The wearer could choose from a number of styles to decide what information should be printed on the bracelet itself. In most cases something as simple as health records enclosed or 'emergency information... Please read' was enough to alert bystanders and medical personnel that there was a problem to be aware of.
The cost of these bracelets is usually an out of pocket expense; in other words the insurance company is not going to get this for you. They can't be ordered either on line or from a local drugstore. Unlike the original versions, newer ones are much more stylish, easier to wear, and contain micro chips that have more medical history in addition to just a quick description of drugs were situations to which the wearer is allergic.
These bracelets are almost mandatory in situations such as someone who has diabetes, epilepsy, is experiencing a high risk pregnancy, and certainly anyone subject to intermittent occurrences of memory loss. These are ideal to give two elderly or actually incapacitated parents or other loved ones who may be experiencing early forms of dementia or Alzheimer's.
Health information that will be stored in the microchip inside the bracelet itself is still safe. It can only be understood by using the appropriate scanning and decoding equipment normally found in a large hospital emergency room or even some doctors offices. This type of chip is very similar to the type of chip implanted into a pet's ear so that they can be easily found and identified if he gets lost.
Simple bracelets such as the original version of this made with nickel plating and the one line description of a medication can still be found for an affordable prices.
