DHS to keep funding the personal emergency response service

Thursday, April 24th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- The state Department of Human Services has decided that some senior citizens can keep a service designed to help them in the event of an accident or medical emergency.

The state will cancel subsidies for the communications system on May 1st, but about 600 Medicaid recipients could get to keep their Personal Emergency Response Services.

With the system, Medicaid-covered senior citizens at home have a pager, pendant or beeper that alerts a central help line if activated.

People who live alone, are alone for much of the day or have a medical condition that requires extensive supervision may be eligible to keep the service.

The state's budget problems have prompted DHS to cancel financial support of the system.

Oklahoma eldercare organizations are protesting the cancellation.