Seniors get personal link with emergency dialers

By Erin McGrath

Published: October 29, 2008

Just a few weeks ago, Pete Bishop, 74, was injured when he fell at his home in Afton.

“He’s got blood on the brain so he’s been having therapy,” Vera Bishop, Pete’s wife, said. “He’s lost a lot of his mobility.”

After the fall, the Bishops decided to invest $60 in a personal emergency dialer for their home. Vera Bishop, works outside of the home in Waynesboro, and said the price of the dialer was worth it.

“I’ve got piece of mind,” she said.

A PED is an automatic dialer that connected to a home’s telephone line. User’s wear an activating pendant and if an emergency occurs where they cannot reach the phone, the user can press a button on the pendany and the dialer will automatically dial up to six numbers.

These dialers are provided to Nelson County senior citizens for a one-time fee of $60 by the Nelson County chapter of the Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) – Triad organization. Triad represents AARP, International Chief of Police and the National Sheriff’s Association.

The Bishop’s were the 200th recipients in Nelson to receive a PED. The organization celebrated this milestone on Oct. 14 with a luncheon at the Nelson Community Center in Lovingston.

Jennifer Aulgar, director of TRIAD and Citizen Outreach with the Virginia Attorny General’s Office, said Nelson was the only county in Virginia to have 200 dialers.

Nelson County Sheriff David Brooks said it was just one year ago, they were giving the 100th dialer out.

“I never imagined a few years ago, we would be presenting the 200th dialer,” Brooks said. He said 57 of the dialers have been used since the beginning of the program.

“This gives me piece of mind, him having this device,” Vera Bishop said. “I can feel assured while I’m at work that he’s taken care of.”