Introduction

The simplest automatic dialers became available for telephone communication. In Sweden, England, and the United States, at almost the same time, inventors applied this new technology to a serious problem-protection of frail and disabled people who lived alone. In the socialized countries of Western Europe both the national government and local authorities quickly saw the potential benefits of the new devices and in many locations worked them into their home care systems. Personal response services therefore became an important new home care service rapidly growing in all reporting countries and obviously serving to prolong independent living. The United States is unique in its use of hospitals to distribute Personal Response Service (PRS), and funding today has been largely private rather than government sponsored. However, in the United States, there has been increasing inclusion of PRS among Medicaid home and community care services and in supportive services for public housing of the frail elderly.