Personal Emergency Response System

So, you’ve seen the ads,

and heard the related, “I’ve

fallen and I can get up”

trope already many more

times than anyone would

want to, so what’s new to

learn about Personal Emergency

Response Systems

(PERS) and how they can

benefit you or someone

you know who is at risk

of falling? Well, first of

all - - and this really hasn’t

changed - - PERS don’t

prevent falls. They won’t

help you to stay on your

feet, and they can’t catch

you when you fall or help

you up from a fall. They

do, however, offer many

benefits that go overlooked,

as well as providing many

new features and added

flexibility that didn’t exist

in previous models. Before

we discuss these though,

let’s review what PERS are

and how they work.

So PERS are integrated

alert systems with neck or

wrist-worn buttons used

to summon help through a

monitoring call center in

the event of an emergency.

These emergencies

can be of the medical sort,

but also popularly around

falls and the inability to

get back on one’s feet in

the familiar ads you have

seen and heard. Let’s

also be very clear . . . .

these devices work, they

work well, and they have

rescued and saved tens

of thousands of people

in very difficult circumstances.

So, despite the

awkward tropes and

affronts to our good sense

and dignity, PERS are

invaluable tools to help

anyone who lives alone

or is at increased risk for

whatever reason maintain

their independence.

Generally, PERS work

to provide the individual

user the opportunity to

push an emergency call

button and summon help

by placing an outgoing

call, using a connection

to the home telephone

system, to a staffed call

center operated by the

producers and providers

of the equipment. The

call center staff maintain

a digitized record of the

user’s emergency contacts

in order of preference,

and if those contacts fail

to answer, or if the user is

unable to respond to the

call center staff’s inquiries

about the need for help,

then a call is made to local

9-1-1 dispatch to respond

and assist. Pretty straightforward,

really.

More interestingly is

how the newest technology

operates within the

same sort of framework

and protocols to help keep

users safe and independent

in ways that are more

robust, more flexible,

and more discrete. Some

of these technological

advances with the equipment

and connectivity are

pricier, but an interesting

development of these

advances is that they have

actually driven the price

for more basic units down,

and those are available

to meet the needs of less

affluent users through

local programs that make

them available on an

income-based sliding fee

schedule, or for free to

qualified individuals.

The newest systems have

more range, allowing

users to work and move

more safely around the

deck, patio, or garage

areas of their home, or

even in the yard if it isn’t

overly large. These PERS

also have cell phone

connectivity, so that a

landline which many of us

have dropped altogether

isn’t necessary. In fact,

the cell phone connected

version also allows a user

to take the system and its

functionality with them

wherever they go around

their home, community,

and even on trips outof-town

- - anywhere a

cell phone signal can be

obtained. Finally, many

of the new PERS also provide

the option of a wristworn

device in the form

of a stylish smart watch,

providing users with

all the important safety

benefits in a modern and

unobtrusive wearable

format. These versions,

as well as some of the cell

phone connected pendant

systems also have new

technology that will sense

a sudden and dramatic

fall using an embedded

accelerometer designed to

respond to the vibrations

associated with a sudden

fall and impact, triggering

an automatic call to the

monitoring call center.

Seniors Council Fall

Prevention Program staff

are interested in helping

people maintain their

independence and ability

to do what they love to

do for as long as possible.

We know that helping

to prevent falls is one of

the single best and most

important things that we

can do to help achieve

this result. PERS go a

long way toward helping

people maintain their independence

and continue

to pursue and enjoy the

things they love most, and

by addressing some of the

fears around falls, helping

us do more of what we

safely.