Laurie Olov, who blogs at “Aging In Place Technology Watch,” is a senior advocate, and one of the harshest critics of personal emergency response systems. Despite her concerns about PERS technology and the companies who market them, Ms. Orlov has provided a helpful summary of the reasons consumers still feel that investment in a PERS unit is useful to many elderly.

Can innovation push limits of traditional PERS? | Aging In Place Technology Watch

So why is it still around? The device (under its ‘medical’ moniker) is recommended by health-related channels — including hospitals, health services, private physicians, social workers — as a way to improve peace-of-mind for those at risk of falling or who have already fallen. Wearing the button is viewed by all parties, including the referring health organization, adult children who may be payers, seniors who wear it, as reassuring even as the statistical benefit is shaky. Next, and perhaps more useful, pressing the button to test the unit and speaking with a responsive contact center is valuable communication (non-emergency) for the target user — a frail woman living alone. And there’s a chance for a service center agent to ask during a test call if everything else in the home is okay — and to parse even the most vague answer.

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