Seniors: A Personal Assistance Voice Dialer is a Life Saver

Senior citizens today are living active and productive lives. Today's retiree relishes his or her independence and freedom. However, as a person ages, they are prone to sudden mishaps. Heart attacks and falls are common problems experienced by older people living by themselves. To calm the fears and concerns of their loved ones, a senior can get inexpensive signaling devices that will enable them to live independently. These devices are known as Personal Assistance Dialers. They are also called Personal Safety Alarms or Personal Alert Systems.

Perhaps you have seen some of the TV commercials featuring seniors saying things like, "I have fallen". Then the commercial shows help arriving to the distressed or injured person. These Personal Assistance Dialer devices that they are featuring are quite ingenious and helpful to anyone that lives alone. Getting quick help when you have an accident at home is vital. No matter what age you are, the faster that help arrives, the better your chances are. Every second counts for a person having a heart attack or stroke.

Personal Assistance Dialers are either worn on the neck or pinned to the clothing or worn like a watch around the wrist. Many of them are water resistant and can be worn while showering. Being water resistant is quite a benefit. Many people, seniors included, fall while showering. Former astronaut and senator from Ohio, John Glen, took a nasty fall while bathing. It can happen to anybody young or old.

When a person pushes the button on the small signaling device it is sent wirelessly to a small unit nearby. This unit is attached to your telephone. The dialing unit has a message that you record before hand. A sample message would be, "This is Doris Jones and I need help". The monitoring company will either speak to you or call the police or fire department in your neighborhood. Response time varies depending on how far away you are from help.

The dialing unit itself costs less than $200. It is the monitoring service that can be expensive. You can get 24 hour monitoring services that vary from eight dollars a month all the way up to $60 a month or more. If you are considering having 24-hour monitoring it pays to ask questions and shop around for the best prices.

A cheaper alternative to having full-time monitoring is to buy a Personal Assistance Dialer that will dial numbers that you have pre-selected. This type of unit will dial two neighbors, a cell phone or a work phone. You can even dial a relative out-of-state. You can get a personal assistance emergency dialer for as little as $50 plus shipping. There are varying prices and features for these do-it-yourself type dialers. Some will dial more than four numbers and have more than one pendant or bracelet alert button.

Many of the dialers have a little heart or oval pendant with a button that you push for assistance. You wear this lightweight water-resistant pendant around your neck. If you should fall , you simply press the button, and the dialer goes to work. It is a matter of preference, whether you get the bracelet style or the neck pendant. You can also order more than one unit, one for the wrist and one for the neck. These wearable alert devices are powered by a small battery. You should test these units regularly to make sure that they are working properly. The monitoring companies allow you to test units by making a phone call stating that you are making a test.

You can also buy extra "panic buttons" that you can keep at various places like the living room, bathroom, kitchen, garage etc. The small neck pendant seems to offer the greatest degree of protection without discomfort.

If you live alone and would like some extra peace of mind and protection consider one of these Personal Assistance Dialers. Fifty dollars and up is quite cheap for added protection from falls and mishaps. Don't take the chance of lying on the floor in pain for hours.