FDA News Release
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a news
release concerning
the safety of a personal emergency response system button worn
as a
pendant around an individual’s neck. Please click on the
following link
for further details.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm183247.htm
What are Personal Emergency Response
Systems (PERS)?
Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS, also known as ERS,
medical
alarms, or fall alarms) are electronic devices that allow a user
to send
an instant call for help in case of an emergency. There are
several varieties
of PERS systems, but they usually have three main components:
- a small button-sized transmitter that may be carried or
worn as
a pendant,
- a receiving console that is connected to a telephone, and
- a monitoring center which may be nationally or locally
based.
How do PERS work?
When the transmitter is activated, the preprogrammed telephone
number
of the monitoring center is automatically dialed. A person
working at
the call center may then try to call the user to determine the
nature
of his or her emergency. If the PERS user cannot be reached by
phone,
a designated person, ambulance, or other emergency service
provider may
then be dispatched by the monitoring center.
Is there any consumer information available that
might help in choosing
a PERS provider?
For important consumer information about PERS visit the
Federal Trade
Commission's website at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/pers.htm
Select the links below to view or print the Federal Trade
Commission's Facts
for Consumers PERS article:
Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) facts for consumers (Word,
26 KB)
Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) facts for consumers (Acrobat,
88 KB)
How do I file a complaint against a
Texas-serving PERS provider?
For information on how to file a complaint against a
DSHS-licensed PERS
provider, click here: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/pers/pers_complaint.shtm
In Texas, do PERS companies really need a
license?
All entities providing PERS services to Texans must be
fully
licensed with DSHS unless made specifically exempt by Texas
Health and
Safety Code Ch. 781 (View the current roster of DSHS-licensed
PERS providers
under “Find a Licensee”). Entities offering PERS services in
combination with fire and/or burglar alarms must be fully
licensed
with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/psb/company/company_search.aspx
as mandated by Texas Occupations Code Ch. 1702.