SENIOR INDEPENDENCE MEETS SECURITY

Aug 1, 2004 12:00 PM

Eskaton, an independent nonprofit corporation, was established in the 1960s to provide healthcare, housing and other services to seniors and families. Located in Carmichael, Calif., a suburb of Sacramento, Eskaton serves seniors through more than 25 facilities and programs in northern California. Its mission is to enhance seniors' quality of life through health, housing and social services.

In 2000, Eskaton developed plans for Eskaton Village Grass Valley, a multiservice retirement community in the scenic foothills of the Sierra Mountains. Personal security for residents was top-of-mind. Eskaton's market research revealed that prospective residents felt that the use of pull cords to summon assistance from call centers or stations had limitations.

In response to their concerns, Eskaton selected Security Escort from Bosch Security Systems, a wireless personal security system. Eskaton Village's housing units, primarily for independent living, include 130 detached patio homes in The Terraces, 80 one or two-bedroom apartments at The Lodge and 57 one-bedroom assisted living apartments spread across 42 shady, wooded acres.

“It's a great marketing tool for us,” says June Connally, administrator at Eskaton Village Grass Valley. “Our residents and their families really like Security Escort because it lets them move about freely and not worry about calling for assistance, regardless of where they are in our community. This system is especially useful for people with limited mobility — or, if someone falls in the kitchen or outdoors, they don't have to worry about trying to crawl to the nearest wall-mounted pull cord.” Connally has been with Eskaton for 15 years, and helped open the facility in May 2002.

The Security Escort system gives residents the option of choosing either a pendant-style or a wrist transmitter that fastens with Velcro and is worn like a watch. In addition to a call button, if a resident needs assistance, the transmitters also act as tracking devices so people can be located on the system's computer monitor in the administration office.

A standard personal computer, the monitor loads maps and blueprints of the facilities and grounds so they can be constantly monitored. When necessary, the system administrator can search for someone by name or assigned transmitter number. If an alarm comes in, the system immediately signals the event and highlights the keyed transmitter, giving the location graphically as well as a picture of the person along with their name and important details such as medical conditions the searchers should know about. Multiple alarms are handled and resolved separately so if more than one person calls for assistance at one time, no one waits.

“We count our assisted living residents every two hours. If we can't find someone and they haven't told us they were leaving the area, we first check the system to see where they might be,” Connally explains. “Just after we opened in 2002, one of our newer residents was visiting a friend in a patio home and forgot to tell us. Since she always wears her pendant, we checked the facility map on the Security Escort system monitor and I went over to make sure she was all right. She and her friend were very impressed that we could find her so quickly. It's that type of reassurance that makes our residents feel safe here.”

FOR THE RECORD…

ABOUT THE COMPANY

For information, circle the Reader Service number (listed below) or visit securitysolutions.com

Bosch Security Systems

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