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| OHCC LIVING | JULY 2026 | 7 By Tom Porter From medical alerts to smart-home safety features, today's emergency management systems offer more options than ever. Before choosing a system, it helps to think through what kind of support, monitoring, and convenience you really want. Questions to Ask Before You Choose • Do you need a medical alert system? • Do you need more of a comprehensive whole-house alarm and notification system? • What technology will the new system use: cellular, Wi-Fi, or something else? • Do you want a "smart" system where you can use your smartphone to make changes while you are away — for example, turning interior or exterior lights on or off, or adjusting the heating and air conditioning? • Do you want a system where, if you fall anywhere in the house, you can ask it to call for help? • If the fire or carbon monoxide alarm goes off, will the system immediately ask if you need help? If there is no response, will the system call for help as you have programmed it to do? • Do you want a system with a touch option to unlock and lock your doors? They even have locks that use your fingerprint as a key. (Wow, no more fumbling for keys!) There are many EMS options on the market, and modern technology is utterly amazing. Some systems cost about $100 and then provide 24/7 coverage for around $49 a year, while full-house systems that monitor about everything can run $2,000 or more for the equipment, plus monthly 24/7 monitoring fees. The right choice depends on your needs, your home, and the level of monitoring you want. Apple Watches will even monitor for falls and track your heart rate. They can alert you if you may be having a medical event and ask if you need help. My wife has one of these that she calls her "Dick Tracy" watch! If you live in OHCC, you will know who Dick Tracy is… our grandson has no clue! A Final ought SERT's mission is to help you stay safe! SERT will not recommend or suggest a specific EMS to you. We will, as in this article, pose questions you need to think about so you can make an informed decision. You are in control of your EMS of the future. Kind of sounds like "Star Wars" — may the Force be with you! Your safety, your responsibility — stay safe out there! EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS): THINGS TO CONSIDER