The Hollister Rotary Club boosted the security of 25 local
seniors by donating that many emergency caller units to Jovenes de
Antano. The device wraps around a person’s neck and, when pulled,
instantly alerts emergency crews of a problem.
The Hollister Rotary Club boosted the security of 25 local seniors by donating that many emergency caller units to Jovenes de Antano. The device wraps around a person’s neck and, when pulled, instantly alerts emergency crews of a problem.
Jovenes de Antano, a nonprofit agency that acts as Hollister’s local senior center, will distribute the units to seniors on a first-come first-serve basis, according to Executive Director Pauline Valdivia.
This is the second consecutive year the Rotary has donated the units, which cost about $100 each and were obtained through a grant, said Dr. Richard Kolescar, a Rotarian who coordinated the effort. He plans to give Valdivia the devices once he installs batteries and attaches stickers to them.
“We felt it was a worthy project for the community,” Kolescar said.
A senior can hang the device around his or her neck. It is connected to a phone line; but does not include any additional service charge, Valdivia said.
When pulled, it automatically alerts three to five different numbers – one presumably emergency services – the owner enters into the device.
“We have found people on the floor, overnight,” Valdivia said. “It has (saved lives). Yes, it can.”
She said residents 60 or older are eligible for the device. But she recommended they’re best suited for residents in their 70s or people at high risk for serious health problems.
“It’s a unique piece of equipment,” Valdivia said.
Anyone interested in obtaining an emergency caller unit should call Jovenes de Antano at 637-9275.
