Ray Mazyck installs the Lifeline system for Martha East. Photo by Natasha Whitling

Eighty–seven–year old Martha East’s newest piece of jewelry is not the height of fashion, but it could just save her life.

The plastic pendant with a gold button hanging on a black cord necklace could literally be her lifeline. This service, provided by the non–profit Pilot Club of Columbia, uses the personal help button and speaker phone device made by Lifeline Systems to aid elderly or disabled persons who live alone.

The person wears the button at all times, and if he should fall or hurt himself, he can press the button and a signal is sent to the phone device which dials the Lifeline call center. The dispatcher at the call center will then communicate with the person and contact the appropriate people such as EMS or police.

The pendant is water proof, and wearers are encouraged to keep it on at all times, even while taking a shower since this is where a lot of falls occur.

The Pilot Club of Columbia, a service organization like the Rotary or Ruritan clubs, has been installing and servicing Lifeline equipment since 1982. It began as a service project for the club, and now they employ five full time and two part time trained and certified installers. They currently have 1,500 subscribers with an average age of 78.

Director Buck Brinson came to the Pilot Club about a year ago in search of a fulfilling second career, and he found just that. “Out of all people over 65, one third will fall this year,” he said. “Over age 80, one half will fall. People with this service are ten times less likely to die as a result of a fall.These people are now a lot safer.”

The fee for service is $35 a month, but around 15 percent of subscribers receive subsidized service and many more receive it through Medicaid. As essential as the Lifeline program is, it is often hard to persuade those living alone to use it. “It’s an unwillingness to admit that you can’t handle the situation,” Brinson said. “It’s like saying ‘Why do I need health insurance? I’m not sick.’”

The statistics support the necessity of Lifeline.

Out of the 132 calls received from the Pilot Club subscribers in the month of January, 50 required a call to the EMS. A contact list is compiled for every subscriber which includes names and numbers of people to contact in case of a non–emergency call.

While the button is certainly used in emergency situations, subscribers will often call for a variety of reasons. “For some people this is their contact point with the outside world,” Brinson said. One subscriber calls every morning, sometimes several times a day, to ask for the time.

Generally, system installation only takes half an hour, but Pilot Club installers reserve at least one hour per visit. “The hardest part of the installation is leaving because you may be the only person they see all day, and they just want to talk to you,” said Ray Mazyck, who has been with the Pilot Club for six months.

A retired high school music teacher of 30 years, Mazyck wanted to do something worthwhile with his spare time. “I enjoy talking with all different kinds of people, being with people, and really helping them,” he said. In the case of Martha East, Mazyck was on hand to show her how to use her new necklace and walk through the steps of an emergency call to Lifeline Systems.

The Pilot Club of Columbia is affiliated with Providence Hospital in Columbia and is one of the largest service providers in the state with subscribers from Augusta to Myrtle Beach. For more information on the program call 803-765-0574.