Lifeline Emergency Response System
With the push of a button, your Lifeline bracelet or necklace signals that you need help. Lifeline professionals receive this signal and take immediate action, sending whatever help you need. For more than 20 years, Lifeline has been North America's leading personal response service. Lifeline has helped more than four million people remain in an independent living situation.
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Cottage Health System makes Lifeline available to individuals throughout Santa Barbara County. Our goal is to give you the confidence to continue to live in your own home by assuring you that you are able to get help with the push of a button.
Lifeline allows many people to continue living in their own homes with the reassurance that they can get the right kind of help whenever they need it.
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Lifeline is made possible through the support and volunteer work of Cottage’s auxiliaries.
If you would like to order a Lifeline device or if you are interested in volunteering to install Lifeline devices in your area of Santa Barbara county, please contact us.
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How Lifeline Works
To call for help, you simply press the “Personal Help Button” you wear as a pendant or on a wristband. The “Personal Help Button” activates a small in-home communicator that automatically dials the Lifeline Response Center. Within seconds, your call will be answered by one of our highly-trained operators (our Lifeline Monitors). You will never be asked to talk to a machine. You may call to inform us that you have a minor problem that only requires a neighbor to stop by, or you may need an ambulance. Whatever you need, we will respond quickly.
All your important information is immediately available to the Monitor answering your call, so we can easily determine the type of help you need and make sure you get it. We also want you to make frequent check-in calls and ask that you press your “Personal Help Button” just to say hello, to let us know how you're doing, and to make sure your Lifeline equipment is working properly.
We recommend you contact us at least once a month. In fact, most of our incoming calls aren't emergencies.
Our communicators have a highly sensitive speakerphone that lets the Monitor speak to you, even if you can't get to the phone.
And, if you press your “Personal Help Button” but cannot speak, your Lifeline Monitor will quickly send help.
Your Lifeline Personal Response Service:
- is there for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- provides the peace of mind you and your loved ones deserve, enabling you to continue to live independently in your own home
- is easy to use
- minimizes complications by making sure you get help quickly when you need it
- is affordable, with no purchase required and with no long-term commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will I benefit from the Lifeline Personal Response Service?
Lifeline offers you and your loved ones peace of mind, independence, early intervention, and reassurance. Here are answers to ten of the most frequently asked questions:
My independence is very important to me and I already have all the help I need. Would I be giving that up by subscribing to Lifeline?
No. In fact, a recent clinical study proved that Lifeline users were ten times less likely to need a long-term care facility like a nursing home compared to people who didn't use the Lifeline Service. Lifeline actually helps you preserve your independence by giving you the confidence to continue to live safely at home. With Lifeline, you're always in complete control. You press your “Personal Help Button” when you need assistance and you tell us who you want us to call if you need help.
I'm fine on my own. Why would I want Lifeline?
Lifeline is like insurance. You may never need it, but if you do you'll be glad you have it. It's reassuring to know that if you have a sudden illness or injury, help will be on the way in a matter of minutes even if you can‘t move or speak.
I already have all the help I need. My neighbor checks in with me every day.
Between your neighbor's visits, you're left unprotected. You could fall and be unable to get help for over 24 hours. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that people found within one hour of a fall are five times more likely to survive than those who remain helpless for more than 72 hours.
How much does the service cost?
Lifeline is affordable. You don't have to buy anything or make a long-term commitment. You pay a low, one-time installation charge and a low monthly fee for as long as you use the service.
Who are the “Lifeline Monitors” answering my call?
They are caring, highly trained professionals. Their only job is to answer your call and to ensure that you receive the attention you deserve and the help you need.
Is Lifeline complicated to use?
Using Lifeline is simpler than using a telephone. All you have to do is press your “Personal Help Button”. The communicator dials the Lifeline Response Center. Within seconds you‘ll be talking with a Monitor who immediately has all of your important information displayed on a screen.
What is the next step if I decide to subscribe?
It begins with your call. Knowledgeable phone representatives will discuss your special needs and answer your questions about the Lifeline Service. Within a few days, an experienced Lifeline Home Service Representative will visit you to explain the service and demonstrate the equipment. The Home Service Representative will also locate the best site for the communicator and install it. Our Home Service Representative won't leave until you have practiced using your “Personal Help Button” to call the Lifeline Response Center, and you feel comfortable using the service.
Is there a lot of equipment involved?
No. There are just two pieces of equipment: your “Personal Help Button” (worn as a pendant or on a wristband) and the communicator.
Do I have to be in the same room as the communicator for it to work?
No. You can be in another room, on a different floor, or even outside in your yard and your signal will still be received. Your “Personal Help Button” is completely waterproof (not just "water-resistant"), so you should wear it in the shower or bath where many falls occur.
How can I be sure the Lifeline equipment is working?
The equipment designed and manufacture by Lifeline Systems is reliable and trouble-free because we design it and manufacture it ourselves. In the unlikely event that you should have a problem that the Monitor cannot correct over the phone, we will do whatever is necessary to solve the problem immediately. We encourage you to press your “Personal Help Button” at least once a month just to let you know that we're here for you.