Dear Caregiver: There are situations when a full-time caregiver is not yet a necessity and the person needing care lives at home and is still very independent. However, the person may have one or more chronic conditions, such as degenerative joint disease, cardiopulmonary disease, diabetes, or mobility problems.

You worry about that person when you are not around. You know how fast things can happen.

You are absolutely right to worry, too! A small stumble or fall could result in a very serious situation or injury for an elderly person. The longer it takes to get help the more serious the consequences.

According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “...for those 65 or over who live alone, the risk of being found helpless or dead in the house is 3.2% per year - or about the same as the combined risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke.”

There is a way for the elderly living alone to keep a “LIFELINE” to family, friends, and emergency services. The solution is what is known as a “personal response service.” A personal response service provides a link to caring assistance even when you can’t be there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Helpful monitoring professionals are always reachable with the simple push of a button on a phone or a pendant worn around the neck (a wrist strap for men). The friendly voice on the phone has all the information about who to call to provide the appropriate assistance. While many calls for minor problems are easily solved with a neighbor’s stop-by visit, in the case of more serious emergencies, police, fire, or ambulance service is dispatched.

This peace of mind provided by a personal response service is surprisingly affordable. There is a small, one-time activation cost for the equipment (usually about $50) and a modest monthly service cost (a little over a dollar a day) for the equipment rental and monitoring service.

To provide this service, the National Caregiving Foundation has chosen to recommend Lifeline Systems, Inc., which for over 20 years has been North America’s leading personal response service. Lifeline has helped over four million seniors to remain independent and continue to live where they prefer to be - safe in their own homes.