Wearing and Using Personal Emergency

Abstract

Frail older adults living alone are at risk for falling and not being found. A personal emergency response system (PERS) is a technological adjunct to home care for such individuals, but little is known of their experiences with the PERS. The experiences of seven frail women (ages 83 to 96) who lived alone were studied using a descriptive phenomenological method. The key phenomenon was temporizing about the PERS button, and the two component phenomena were deciding when to wear it and deciding whether to use it. Findings were contrasted to the existing literature about wearing and using the PERS, which has been focused on compliance. The variations in the experiences of the women in this small sample warrant further research and individualized interventions to enhance consistent use of the PERS by frail older adults.