Allegan Homecare, offers Lifeline units, a personal response service which allows users to summon help when they are at home, but unable to reach a telephone. The service is available to anyone in the AGH service area for a monthly fee of $32, which includes use of the communicator unit.

The Lifeline communicator unit plugs into a home telephone jack, and the telephone then plugs into it. The user wears a small waterproof pendant either around their neck or strapped to a wrist. If the person gets into trouble, is too weak to get out of the bathtub, or falls while walking to the mailbox, for example, pressing a button on the pendant will elicit a response from the Lifeline center in Boston.

Lifeline's first move is to call out the person's name, heard by the user through a small speaker on the communicator unit. If the Lifeline center does not receive a response from the person, they telephone a neighbor or family member living nearby, and ask that person to check on the user. If no one is available nearby to help, Lifeline calls the nearest emergency medical services.

The registration process for the service involves recording the names and phone numbers of neighbors who are willing to help when Lifeline receives an alert, as well as any household or medical information of which the responders should be aware.

There is no limit to the number of times a Lifeline user may access the service by pressing the button on the pendant, and all users are encouraged to test the unit once a month. Lifeline also has the capability of requiring the user to "check in" every 12 or 24 hours if their medical situation warrants.

Users do not have to be home health patients, and do not need doctor's orders to rent the units. For more information, please contact Allegan Homecare at (269) 686-4293.