AT Helps Keep Senior in her Home

It's time for an AT Network success story.

Sometimes the difference between living on one’s own and requiring skilled nursing care can be as simple as a single assistive device. “Mary” (not her real name) is a senior living in the Santa Barbara area. She lived by herself in the home she and her late husband purchased many years ago. But a spate of recent falls had family members concerned. Worried about her safety, they were urging Mary to move to a care facility. But Mary neither wanted to move out or have anyone move in with her. A friend referred Mary to the Independent Living Resources Center.

ILRC’s Assistive Technology Advocate at first suggested Mary subscribe to an emergency alert service but she could not afford the monthly service fees. So the advocate told Mary about the California Telephone Access Program (CTAP). A free service funded by the California Public Utilities Commission (through a fee added to all telephone bills) CTAP provided Marie with an emergency automatic dial telephone and an alert button on a bracelet she could wear. After a fall, Mary could press the button on her bracelet that would cause her telephone to automatically dial a set of pre-program numbers, including 911.

With the emergency automatic dial phone installed, Mary was able to continue living in her own home and her family had peace of mind knowing she could contact help when she needed it.

What is your AT success story?