Personal safety and security are key issues for the elderly and physically disabled, as even their own homes may hold pitfalls that can strip them of their independence or their health. Atlas Security recently began offering a safety net in the form of Life Touch, for the elderly and disabled. Life Touch is a locally monitored emergency medical response system, according to company officials. Customer response to Life Touch thus far has been good, said Peggy Shaffer, who joined Atlas Security in January to handle marketing for Life Touch. Shaffer thinks that the positive response is partly due to the number of seniors in the Ozarks. “Seniors are living longer, and they want to live independently. They don’t want to fall, break a hip and wind up in a rest home,” Shaffer said. “Statistics show that one out of three elderly people are going to fall in their homes at a rate of once per year. … Research supports that getting prompt medical attention makes surviving a medical emergency more likely.” Kevin Worley, sales manager with Atlas Security, said that Life Touch complements security services Atlas has offered for several years. “They can integrate a panic button into their (existing) alarm system,” Worley said. The addition of Life Touch came after the company noticed an increase in calls requesting panic-button services. The Life Touch system-monitoring unit hooks into clients’ existing phone lines. If a panic button is pushed – either on the unit itself or in the individual’s personal call button, which can be worn as a watch or a pendant – the system alerts the monitoring center. “When I go into their homes, I record information, such as their physician, who they want as their very first contact – a family member or a neighbor,” Shaffer said. “All they have to do in an emergency is give that pendant a push, and they know someone is listening.” When the button is pushed, she added, someone will ask the individual whether everything is OK or if there is a medical emergency. “If we don’t hear anything, we call 911,” Shaffer said. Even if emergency response isn’t necessary, Worley added, the individual may need some type of assistance. “If they maybe don’t necessarily need an ambulance, but they do need a son or a daughter contacted because they have maybe fallen (and) they just can’t get up, we can respond a little more appropriately,” he said. Shaffer said the fact that Atlas’ Life Touch monitoring is done locally is a plus for customers. “We have our dispatchers right here. So if I put one of these units in a little old man’s house in Sparta, we know the Sparta Police Department; we know the fire department,” she said. Life Touch units are mobile, so users can take them along when they travel and plug them in once the destination is reached, whether it’s for a weekend trip or a longer visit. “All they have to do is let us know that they are going out of town – say they are going to Florida for the winter – to get an 800 number assigned to their unit so when they push that button there, they are not going to get any long-distance charges,” Shaffer said. Nixa resident Edith Sowash is happy with her Life Touch system. “It’s security, because I live by myself. And I have a phone in every room, but sometimes when you fall, you can’t get to the phone,” she said. While Sowash said she’s able to get around fairly well and her memory is good, she’s concerned about safety because of a family history of strokes. “I like knowing that I can just push a button and somebody will know I need help. And I have pushed it a time or two just to see if I was getting through. It worked, and somebody (was) right there on the line with me as soon as I pushed the button,” she said. Fees for Life Touch are flexible, Worley said. For a one-year contract, there is an initial fee of $60 to lease the necessary equipment, and it costs $29.95 a month for monitoring the unit. However, Shaffer said, a contract isn’t required. For customers who don’t want an annual contract, the initial fee is $90, plus $29.95 a month for monitoring. The monthly fee can be billed monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually, Worley said, and the company offers a free month for customers who choose the annual billing option. “Since we do retain ownership of the equipment, that helps to keep the cost down for the customer, because they do not have to buy the unit,” he said. As interest in the Life Touch service increases, Worley and Shaffer are optimistic about what it means for the company and its clients. “Our slogan is ‘Providing peace of mind since 1962.’ This is just another avenue for us to help people rest a little easier,” Worley said. [[In-content Ad]]
