I am a 73 year-old woman who lives alone. I suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and I have a history of falls. I thought as long as I was seeing my doctor regularly and taking all of my medication like I’m supposed to, that this was all I needed to do in order to stay on top of things. My son and his wife live 30 miles away, and I know all of my neighbors, yet I’ve been reluctant to depend on anyone to help me with my problems, since I feel I can manage just fine on my own. My son had addressed his concerns about my safety with me. I assured him that I was fine on my own. He said that it was great that I felt fine with it, but that this didn’t stop his constant worrying about all the “what ifs.”

He talked me into having a PERS installed in my home, and said that he would pay for the monthly monitoring. I only had the unit for a few months when it helped me out during a terrible situation. I got quite dizzy one day, along with being shaky and light-headed. I made my way into my living room, using the walls for support. Feeling very weak, I tried to make it to the couch so that I could rest. Unfortunately, I never made it, because I tripped on a rug and fell to the floor. I landed hard on my left leg, and severe pain began  immediately. I was unable to get to my feet, nor could I crawl to the phone.

It was then that I remembered I was wearing my “help” button pendant around my neck. From just pressing the button, I began to calm down, and my panic subsided. A few minutes later, EMTs arrived to my home and took me to the nearest hospital. I truly feel this device saved my life. Without it, I may have gone into shock, passed out, and it would have been hours before neighbors or relatives realized I wasn’t answering my phone or door.

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