{"id":10178,"date":"2015-04-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.philips.com\/resources\/blog\/2015\/04\/evolution-of-medical-alert-system-technology.html"},"modified":"2023-10-16T18:06:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T22:06:49","slug":"evolution-of-medical-alert-system-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeline.com\/blog\/evolution-of-medical-alert-system-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"A Reflection on Medical Technology: The Evolution of Medical Alert Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Any history of medical alert systems begins with the story of Lifeline: how it was founded, its growth and success, and where the company and its products are now. Producers of personal emergency response systems number in the dozens, but their medical technology owes its origins to\u00a0Lifeline.<\/p>\n

The History of Lifeline<\/h2>\n

In 1972, gerontologist\u00a0Andrew Dibner<\/a> conceived of the idea for an emergency response system in answer to his own question, \u201cWhat would an elderly person do if he or she were alone but needed help?\u201d Two years later, Dibner\u2019s concept became a reality when he and his wife, sociologist Susan Dibner, established Lifeline Systems, Inc.<\/p>\n

Dedicated to finding solutions that support the independence of older adults, the Dibners initially marketed their system to consumers. When the Dibners stepped back from the company several years later, a new strategy was implemented: marketing primarily to hospitals. Older adults have higher incidences of medical problems and use hospitals more frequently, so these institutions served as ideal platforms. Call systems were marketed to hospitals and other health centers nationwide, and healthcare professionals at these institutions rented call buttons \u2014 in the form of either a pendant or bracelet \u2014 to their patients.<\/p>\n

Other manufacturers caught on over the next couple of decades, while Lifeline continued to evolve its product offerings.<\/p>\n

Technological Evolution<\/h2>\n

The original Lifeline system required an individual to push a button on the device that would then place a call to the hospital Lifeline switchboard. The switchboard would first try to call the senior back. If he didn\u2019t respond, the call center agent would reach out to emergency services as well as the senior\u2019s emergency contact, who was typically a family member or sometimes a neighbor.<\/p>\n

Early\u00a0medical alert devices<\/a>\u00a0were bulkier than today, and their associated call centers were not always reliable. The devices also required a landline telephone and couldn\u2019t be worn in the shower\u2014one of the most likely places for a fall.<\/p>\n

Today, these devices are waterproof, and they don\u2019t necessarily require the wearer to press a button. Since 2006, this medical technology has become lighter and more comfortable to wear, and its performance and usefulness have dramatically improved. Systems can be set up and running in no time. Some of the technological features of a Lifeline system include:<\/p>\n