By Hilary Gibson, Staff Writer
Many
long-distance caregivers find a PERS to be a good way of
keeping-up with their loved one, as well as helping them to
maintain their independence. The following testimonials were
submitted by caregivers about their experience with some
Personal Emergency Response Systems:
An Early-Morning, Wake-Up Call
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 the button on 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 re-assure 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.
A
Daughter’s Peace-of-Mind
When my mother passed away, my
eighty year-old dad had to move in with my husband and I.
Although he is mentally very sharp, he has difficulty with his
balance and has a heart condition. After he moved in, I couldn't
run an errand without worrying about him falling or possibly
having a heart attack. My husband and I decided to look into
purchasing a PERS, hoping that it might help us get back to
living without worrying so much about my father being left home
alone. The PERS has made a real difference to all of us. Both my
husband and I feel as though we have greater independence, and
my dad feels less like a burden to us. What’s really great about
our particular PERS is that when my dad travels out-of-state to
see my sister or my brother, I can pack up the unit and send it
with him. All we have to do is call the company and let them
know where he’ll be visiting, and what the telephone number is.
He’s able to have the same “safety-net” on-the-road as he does
here at home with us.
A Professional Caregiver Deals With Also
Being A Family Caregiver
My 92 year-old mother is a very
strong-willed person. Understandably, she wants to stay in her
own home for as long as she can. On the first really hot day of
the year, with temperature climbing well into the 90’s, my
mother fell outside in her yard. She was found the following day
by her gardener, still alive but suffering from extreme
dehydration and sunburn. Thankfully, nothing had broken when she
fell, however she still had to stay in the hospital for several
days, and then spent a week in a convalescent hospital before
demanding that she be taken home. I am a nurse, and I live 50
miles from my mother. I try to go to her house at least once a
week to bring her groceries and to do some cleaning, but I felt
it just wasn’t enough. Caregiving for people professionally
placed constant worry in my heart and mind for my own mother’s
safety on a daily basis. It was one of my mother’s Physical
Therapists who suggested a Personal Emergency Response System
for my mother’s home. My mother has used the PERS several times,
and it has enabled her to stay in the home she do dearly loves,
and it has allowed me to be able to relax a little more about my
mother’s situation.
...Continued
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