Living alone brings a number of dangers and worries: fear of falling, having a stroke or heart attack, suffering injuries or emergencies and not being able to call for help. This is especially true for elderly persons who seek to maintain a level of independence by living at home or who do not wish to enter a care facility.

Chester River Home Care and Hospice offers a program to help alleviate the worry of medical emergencies for those living alone: SOSSignal, an emergency response program that allows a signal to be sent to a monitoring center with one push of a button. The monitoring center dispatches help usually within 60 seconds of receiving the signal. Subscribers choose who will be called to respond to their call for help-a neighbor, an adult child, a friend or 911.

The system consists of a main unit the size of an answering machine that is connected to the telephone line and a waterproof transmitter worn around the neck as a pendant or a bracelet model. When the transmitter’s button is pushed, the system dials a toll-free number and sounds an alarm at the monitoring center.

An optional fall detection device is available. Fall Alert uses the latest technology to detect the deceleration at the end of a fall; it then emits a special signal even if the user is unconscious and unable to push the help button. SOS Industries, Inc. provides SOSSignal service for Chester River Home Care & Hospice.

According to Janet Melson, Executive Director of Chester River Home Care & Hospice, the agency recommends SOSSignal to anyone who has had problems falling or is subject to stroke, heart attack or similar emergencies. “More that half of the installations are arranged by adult children concerned that their parents are living alone,” she states. “It provides peace of mind for the adult child to know their parent has a way of summoning emergency help.”

For additional information about the system, contact Chester River Home Care & Hospice at (410) 778-1049.

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