After some debate, my mother, who is elderly and lives alone, decided that it would be best if she invested in a Personal Emergency Response System. Although we both live in the same state, I don’t live close enough to get to her quickly if she had any type of an emergency. Shortly after she had the system installed, she awoke quite early one morning with great difficulty breathing. She called me to tell me the problem, and I had to remind her that all she needed to do was press her “help” button.

 We had no sooner hung-up with one another, when she received a call from the operator at the emergency response center. The gentleman asked for her name and address, and continued to reassure her until the paramedics arrived. She was given oxygen and medication and taken to the nearest hospital. Although I had a sense of urgency, the long drive to the hospital didn’t seem to be as bad as it could have been, because I knew she had received help quickly, and was with capable, medical professionals. She is fine today, and we are both glad that she had a PERS installed. It’s taken some of the pressure and intensity away from having to be a caregiver from a distance.

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