Tompkins County Office for the Aging

320 North Tioga Street   Ithaca, NY 14850    phone (607) 274-5482;    fax (607) 274-5495

 

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Personal Emergency Response System (PERS)
hands holding a cane

The PERS program of the Tompkins County Office for the Aging provides around-the-clock protection for persons who are ill, frail, alone or medically at risk. The PERS program can take some of the worries out of living alone.

WHAT IS PERS?

  • PERS is a communications system which links an individual with the County’s emergency response system even if that person is unable to use the telephone.
  • The PERS system operates via an electric transmitter which automatically dials a highly-trained emergency rescue dispatcher who will send appropriate help to the home where the signal originated.

HOW DOES PERS WORK?

  • A call is activated by pressing a button on a small console unit or on a pendant usually worn around the neck.
  • The PERS unit must be connected both to a private phone line having a modular jack and to an electrical outlet. In an emergency, it dials a special number and transmits a coded message. The PERS unit has an internal backup battery in case of power failure.
  • Operators are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to receive and respond to emergency calls.

OBTAINING A PERS UNIT

  • The Tompkins County Office for the Aging has units available for rental on a sliding fee scale from zero up to $31.25 per month.
  • Call the Tompkins County Office for the Aging at (607) 274-5482. An outreach worker will make a home visit to demonstrate the system and to determine how and where the equipment should be installed.