PERS Devices for Security Dealers

Security customers get older, and their families start asking whether the company that installed the alarm panel can also put a help button on Mom or Dad. Personal emergency response systems (PERS) are the obvious answer, and they use skills a security dealer already has: programming devices, setting up monitoring accounts and supporting people after the install. This guide covers home health monitoring devices for security dealers in practical terms: what a PERS is, home-based versus mobile units, monitoring and cellular questions, what fall detection can and cannot do, and how the line fits next to intrusion work.

What is a personal emergency response system (PERS)?

A personal emergency response system (PERS) is a wearable device, usually a button on a necklace or bracelet, that summons help when the wearer falls, gets lost or needs urgent medical assistance. Security dealers can offer home-based units or mobile cellular units, but should confirm monitoring centre support and the carrier network, and present fall detection as an added layer, not a guarantee.

Older woman with her hands clasped at her collarbone, held by another hand — Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels

What a personal emergency response system is

The National Institute on Aging describes emergency medical alert systems as an electronic monitor that a person wears, which alerts emergency personnel when the person becomes lost, falls or needs urgent medical assistance. The NIH fall-prevention page describes the familiar form: push a button on a special necklace or bracelet to call for help.

The NIA is also direct about the limits. These systems “won’t be useful in every kind of emergency.” They must be set up correctly and worn, the batteries must be charged or replaced as recommended, and they cannot replace regular check-ins by family, friends and caregivers. Those three conditions are where an installing dealer adds value, and they belong in every customer conversation.

On the equipment side, UL 1637, Home Health Care Signaling Equipment, covers the units that make up a home health care system for ordinary indoor residential locations, including systems in which a signal-initiating device reports to a central supervising station. It notes that units are intended to be installed under the National Electrical Code and the local inspection authority, and that units which also perform residential fire alarm or household burglar alarm functions must meet UL 985 or UL 1023 as well. When you compare products, ask the manufacturer which standards the device is listed to.

Older couple walking together on a path through a park — Photo: Radik 2707 / Pexels

Home-based and mobile devices

PERS hardware falls into two broad groups, and the right one depends on how the user lives.

Home-based

A home-based system pairs a wearable button with equipment that stays in the residence and reports to a monitoring centre. It suits someone who spends most of the day at home. It is the closest fit to an intrusion install: a fixed location, a device to program and a signal path to test. Range from the button to the base equipment is the practical question; walk the house, yard and mailbox with the user and test from each spot.

Mobile (mPERS)

A mobile unit carries its own cellular radio and location service, so it works away from home. Numera’s Libris 2 is an example. Numera’s sell sheet lists 4G LTE, GPS, WiFi and mobile network location-based services, a full duplex speakerphone, a touch button that starts a voice call and data transfer to the call center, an IPx7 rating for wear in the shower or bath, a 36-hour battery and automatic fall detection using on-board sensors with cloud-based analysis. Numera also states the device is pre-configured, needs no on-site installation and integrates with existing monitoring systems.

The trade-off for mobility is charging. A body-worn device with a battery measured in a day or two has to become part of the user’s routine, which is exactly the NIA’s point about batteries. Build charging into the handover, and choose where the charger lives with the user, not for them.

Call center operators wearing headsets working at computers — Photo: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels

Monitoring centre and cellular considerations

A help button is only as good as whoever answers it. Before you quote a PERS account, confirm three things with your monitoring centre:

That it accepts signals and voice calls from the specific device, and how the device is enrolled.
Who the centre calls and in what order: emergency services, a family member, a neighbour with a key. Write the call list with the family.
How it handles test signals, low-battery reports and devices that stop checking in.

Cellular matters for every mobile unit, and for any home unit that reports over a cellular path. The FCC’s guide to the 3G phase-out warned that certain medical devices and home security systems were among the products using 3G service, and advised consumers to contact their monitoring company or other service provider to confirm how a device connects. The lesson outlived 3G: know which network technology and carrier each device uses before you sell it. Numera sells the Libris 2 in different versions for different carriers, so match the version to the network the user actually has. Check the customer’s real coverage at home and at the places they go, not the carrier’s map.

Older man gripping a wooden walking cane — Photo: Pixabay / Pexels

Fall detection basics

Fall detection exists because a button only works if someone can press it. Research on people who fall makes the case plainly. A prospective cohort study of people over 90 in Cambridge, England, published in the BMJ in 2008, found that 80% (53 of 66) of those who fell were unable to get up unaided after at least one fall, and that call alarms were widely available but were not used in most of the falls that led to lying on the floor for a long time.

A 2014 systematic review of fall detection devices in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy explains the mechanics and the limits:

A button-only system is “rendered useless” if the person is unconscious or cannot reach the button.
Wearable fall detectors generally use an accelerometer that detects changes in acceleration.
Wearables can raise false alarms from impacts or movement that are not falls, and some older adults in the studies reviewed were annoyed by them.
The authors called for more testing in real-world settings and standardised evaluation of these devices.

For a dealer, that translates into honest positioning. Automatic fall detection is an added layer on top of the button, not a promise that every fall will be caught. Explain to the family that a false alarm is possible and how the monitoring centre will handle one, and keep the button as the primary way to call for help.

Adult daughter hugging her smiling elderly mother outdoors — Photo: Nakajima Benjamin / Pexels

Home health monitoring devices for security dealers: fitting PERS into the business

The work overlaps with intrusion more than it differs. You already handle device enrolment, monitoring accounts, signal testing and customer support. What changes is the customer and the conversation.

The buyer is often not the user. Adult children frequently make the call. Involve the person who will wear the device in choosing it; a pendant left on the dresser protects no one.
Coverage questions will come up. The NIA says these systems typically charge a start-up fee followed by a monthly service fee, that Medicare will not pay for them, and that Medicaid and other programs may provide coverage. Some private health insurance and long-term care insurance plans pay part of the cost. Point families to those programs rather than advising on eligibility yourself.
Keep claims plain. Describe what the device does and how it reaches help. Do not make medical claims or promise outcomes.
Train before you sell. Bursma schedules product training with manufacturers through the year; ask your sales representative for the schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Does Medicare pay for a medical alert system?

No. The National Institute on Aging says Medicare will not pay for these systems, which typically charge a start-up fee followed by a monthly service fee. Medicaid and other programs may provide coverage, and some private health insurance and long-term care insurance plans pay part of the cost. Point families to those programs rather than advising on eligibility yourself.

How reliable is fall detection on a medical alert device?

Wearable fall detectors generally use an accelerometer, and a 2014 systematic review found they can raise false alarms from impacts or movement that are not falls. The authors called for more real-world testing and standardised evaluation. Present automatic fall detection as an added layer on top of the button, not a promise that every fall will be caught.

What is the difference between a home-based and a mobile PERS?

A home-based system pairs a wearable button with equipment that stays in the residence and reports to a monitoring centre, so it suits someone who spends most of the day at home. A mobile unit (mPERS) carries its own cellular radio and location service, so it works away from home, but charging has to become part of the user’s routine.

Do medical alert devices need cellular service?

Every mobile unit does, and so does any home unit that reports over a cellular path. The FCC’s 3G phase-out guide warned that certain medical devices and home security systems used 3G service. Know which network technology and carrier each device uses, match the device version to the user’s network, and check real coverage at home and where the user goes.

Can a security dealer sell and install PERS devices?

The work overlaps with intrusion more than it differs: device enrolment, monitoring accounts, signal testing and customer support. What changes is the customer, since adult children often make the call, so involve the person who will wear the device in choosing it. Confirm with your monitoring centre that it accepts the device before you quote, and keep claims plain, with no medical promises.

Where to buy PERS devices through Bursma

Home health care is one of the markets Bursma serves alongside security and home automation. If you are looking for a PERS device distributor that also supplies the rest of your security work, start with our Healthcare category, which lists the Numera Libris 2.0 (part NUMS20-2019). Confirm which carrier version it is with your sales representative before you order. Dealers see their own pricing and stock levels in Shop Online after logging in.

For panels, sensors and the rest of an intrusion install, see the Security, Surveillance and Control division. Not a Bursma dealer yet? Open a dealer account, or call 616-831-0080.