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Community Service Program of Seniors Council of Santa Cruz & San Benito Counties (831) 688-0400 x122 or fallsprevention@seniorscouncil.org SANTA CRUZ COUNTY'S NEWEST FALLS PREVENTION RESOURCE TO HELP KEEP YOU SAFE ... AND SMILING Personal Emergency Response System By Britt Bassoni So, you've seen the ads, and heard the related, "I've fallen and I can get up" trope already many more times than anyone would want to, so what's new to learn about Personal Emer- gency Response Systems (PERS) and how they can benefit you or someone you know who is at risk of falling? Well, first of all - - and this really hasn't changed - - PERS don't prevent falls. They won't help you to stay on your feet, and they can't catch you when you fall or help you up from a fall. They do, however, offer many benefits that go overlooked, as well as providing many new features and added flexibility that didn't exist in previous models. Before we discuss these though, let's review what PERS are and how they work. So PERS are integrated alert systems with neck or wrist-worn buttons used to summon help through a monitoring call center in the event of an emergen- cy. These emergencies can be of the medical sort, but also popularly around falls and the inability to get back on one's feet in the familiar ads you have seen and heard. Let's also be very clear . . . . these devices work, they work well, and they have rescued and saved tens of thousands of people in very difficult circum- stances. So, despite the awkward tropes and affronts to our good sense and dignity, PERS are invaluable tools to help anyone who lives alone or is at increased risk for whatever reason maintain their independence. Generally, PERS work to provide the individual user the opportunity to push an emergency call button and summon help by placing an outgoing call, using a connection to the home telephone system, to a staffed call center operated by the producers and providers of the equipment. The call center staff maintain a digitized record of the user's emergency contacts in order of preference, and if those contacts fail to answer, or if the user is unable to respond to the call center staff's inquiries about the need for help, then a call is made to local 9-1-1 dispatch to respond and assist. Pretty straight- forward, really. More interestingly is how the newest technol- ogy operates within the same sort of framework and protocols to help keep users safe and indepen- dent in ways that are more robust, more flexible, and more discrete. Some of these technological advances with the equip- ment and connectivity are pricier, but an interesting development of these advances is that they have actually driven the price for more basic units down, and those are available to meet the needs of less affluent users through local programs that make them available on an income-based sliding fee schedule, or for free to qualified individuals. The newest systems have more range, allowing users to work and move more safely around the deck, patio, or garage areas of their home, or even in the yard if it isn't overly large. These PERS also have cell phone connectivity, so that a landline which many of us have dropped altogether isn't necessary. In fact, the cell phone connected version also allows a user to take the system and its functionality with them wherever they go around their home, community, and even on trips out- of-town - - anywhere a cell phone signal can be obtained. Finally, many of the new PERS also pro- vide the option of a wrist- worn device in the form of a stylish smart watch, providing users with all the important safety benefits in a modern and unobtrusive wearable format. These versions, as well as some of the cell phone connected pendant systems also have new technology that will sense a sudden and dramatic fall using an embedded accelerometer designed to respond to the vibrations associated with a sudden fall and impact, triggering an automatic call to the monitoring call center. Seniors Council Fall Prevention Program staff are interested in helping people maintain their independence and ability to do what they love to do for as long as possible. We know that helping to prevent falls is one of the single best and most important things that we can do to help achieve this result. PERS go a long way toward helping people maintain their in- dependence and continue to pursue and enjoy the things they love most, and by addressing some of the fears around falls, helping us do more of what we love for longer and more safely. Virtual Reality and its Role in Hospice Care By Julia Bidgood Imagine this....one moment you're skiing down the slopes of the Rockies, carving in and out of the evergreens that are sporadically popping out of the bright white snow; you hear the wind blow past your ears as you make your way to the base of the mountain. The next moment you are home in your living room, sitting in your favorite recliner under a soft blanket drinking a warm cup of tea. Seems crazy, right? Right. It is a little crazy, but it is totally possible with the help of Virtual Reality, a service that I proudly offer to our patients. Continuum Hospice in Capitola, CA is one of the many companies integrating the Virtual Reality technol- ogy into their offerings as a therapeutic service to their patients. Continuum part- nered up with Rendever, a VR startup out of Boston, MA that is geared toward combating social isolation in seniors. Through Rende- ver, Continuum's patients have access to thousands of different experiences, trips and settings that are designed with seniors in mind. The VR platform that Rendever provides allows seniors to accom- plish bucket list goals, vis- it their childhood home, relive exciting adventures, and connect with oth- ers through their virtual community programs. VR gives patients the oppor- tunity to fulfill end-of-life wishes that may otherwise not be possible. Karla, a Continuum Hospice patient battling a cancer diagnosis, has been using VR as a way to enhance her personal well-being. Karla is a world traveler who has taken trips all over, where she has gotten up close and personal with all sorts of exotic animals. Now, unable to jump on a plane to South Africa to go on a wild safari, she is able to experience the thrill of an African safari from the comfort of her living room in San Jose. When asked about the benefits of VR, Karla is grateful because it "takes you out of your head and puts you in a good place". She is now able to continue living life on the wild side as she had been before her cancer, and the pandemic took control. While Virtual Reality is certainly entertaining, there are also immense mental, physical and social health benefits associated with its use. VR has been shown to improve mental health because of the cognitive stimulation, improved mood, and reduced agita- tion and anxiety that users experience while enjoying its features. Many users have shown improved physical health due to the upper torso, neck and arm movement and core en- gagement that all naturally occur when using VR. Patients have also report- ed a reduced perception of pain while utilizing virtual reality. For more informa- tion contact Julia Bidgood at Contiuum Hospice in Capitola. (831) 249-9454

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