Any of us would be startled – and probably pretty scared – to hear a doorbell sound in the middle of the night. So you can imagine what Dorothy*, a senior living alone, must have been feeling the night that happened to her. As she went to see who was at her door, two intruders were climbing through her bedroom window. Although the intruders were armed, so was Dorothy – with her Direct Link® Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) device. Direct Link’s tag line is Help at the Touch of a Button™ and immediately Dorothy put that idea to the test as she was able to discretely press the button on her device.
At the call monitoring center, the operator was able to hear the demands of the robbers as they tied Dorothy up. Immediately, she was able to dispatch police and keep them informed about everything that was taking place inside Dorothy’s residence. With this help, police were able to respond in the proper manner, monitor the activity inside Dorothy’s residence and ultimately apprehend the robbers. As an added bonus, prosecutors were able to use the recording of the event as evidence to help secure a conviction when the case went to court.
A scary situation to be sure, but fortunately Dorothy was safe because she had a Direct Link device and was able to secretly just press a button to summon help. If she had to rely on a telephone or cell phone to call for help, chances are the culprits would have stopped the call and might never been caught – probably to terrorize someone else later.
All Direct Link PERS devices may be worn either around the neck or on the wrist (like a watch). In addition to being able to summon help with just the touch of a button, they can also contain a fall detector, which will summon help automatically if a fall occurs and a person is rendered unconscious as a result. Many also have GPS to help pinpoint exactly where help is needed.
If you’re looking for that extra layer of security, I highly recommend looking into a monitored PERS device for your loved one. While I can only vouch for the line of Direct Link products that are offered by Home Helpers® Home Care, this is the type of protection I would want for someone I care about. At Direct Link, prices start as low as $21-25 per month, depending on your location (learn more here, then contact your local Home Helpers office for more information). Also, if you or a loved one have chronic health conditions that require vital sign monitoring or help with dispensing medication, Direct Link also has a line of products that can transmit this information to your doctor and regulate your medications.
I’m very proud that we’re able to offer Direct Link as another layer of protection and grateful for all the people they’ve assisted over the years. I’d like to share one final anecdote because I believe it perfectly illustrates the type of caring, compassionate people who are monitoring these devices and invested in the safety and well-being of their clients.
One December, a woman named Hazel* accidentally pressed the button on her Direct Link unit. When the monitoring center representative, James*, answered the call, he was quickly able to determine that Hazel didn’t need assistance. When he asked if there was anything else he could do, Hazel had one request: Could James sing her a song?
So together, Hazel and James sang her favorite Christmas carol, Silent Night. While they may not have struck every note perfectly, James certainly struck the right chord for someone who just needed some human contact on a cold and lonely December night.
*Although the names have been changed for privacy reasons, these are true stories from the Direct Link Monitoring Center.
