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Emergency Medical Monitor

 A Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) is a device designed to summon help in an emergency. If you are disabled or an elderly person living alone, you may be thinking about buying a PERS, also sometimes called a medical emergency response system.

 You may also be thinking about getting a medical alarm for an elderly parent that lives alone. What if they should fall and can't get up or have a heart attack and can't reach the phone? An emergency response system may be what you need. It can eliminate the fear that they may fall and not be able to call for help. With the push of a button, help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 A basic emergency medical alarm package consists of two things: the equipment and a call service.

 The hardware consists of a receiver console that plugs into a telephone jack and a small battery operated, push button transmitter that is usually attached to a pendant or bracelet. When the transmitter's help button is pushed it signals the receiver console to call the emergency response center.

 There are two types of emergency response centers, the provider based and the manufacturer based. The provider based response centers are usually operated by a local hospital or other emergency service in the user's local area. The manufacturer based response systems usually have a national center.

 With many different emergency monitor systems on the market, figuring out which system is right for you can be a challenge. As with any product there's a range of services, quality and price available.

  Rentals are available through national manufacturers, local distributors, hospitals, and social service agencies. Monthly fees range from $15 to $50 and usually include the monitoring service.