What is a Personal Emergency Response System?

A device for calling for help

Nebraska DHHS describes a Personal Emergency Response System, or PERS, as an electronic device that helps a participant contact someone during an emergency. When the participant presses a button, the system notifies a designated person or a call center.

The Nebraska Aged and Disabled Waiver Quick Guide, published in 2026, lists PERS among AD Waiver services. The federal Nebraska waiver factsheet also identifies PERS as an available service category under Nebraska's Aged and Disabled Waiver.

A service category is not an automatic benefit for every person. Nebraska explains that AD Waiver eligibility, assessed need, the person-centered plan, service authorization, provider availability, and current program rules all matter. Services cannot be backdated, so families should confirm authorization before ordering equipment or agreeing to charges.

What PERS can—and cannot—do

A PERS may make it easier to summon help after a fall, sudden illness, unsafe situation, or other event. Depending on the authorized system, the alert may reach a call center, family member, neighbor, or another designated responder. Ask for the exact workflow in writing.

A help button is not the same as a caregiver in the home. It does not replace scheduled personal care, companion support, clinical monitoring, 911, or an individualized emergency plan. It also cannot guarantee that a participant will be able to reach or press the button, that every area has signal, or that a responder will arrive within a particular time.

Discuss limitations respectfully. The goal is not to remove independence because something could go wrong. It is to match the technology and response plan to the participant's preferences, communication style, movement, hearing, vision, cognition, routines, home layout, and realistic risks.

Start with the participant's real-life routine

Before comparing devices, walk through an ordinary day. Where does the participant spend time? Do they go into a basement, yard, garage, or apartment common area? Do they bathe independently? Do they leave home alone? Where are the places that a wearable button may be removed or forgotten?

Then consider how the participant would use the system during stress. Can they recognize that help is needed? Can they press and hold a small button? Can they speak with an operator? Would vibration, lights, amplified sound, a pendant, wristband, wall button, or another design be easier to use? The service coordinator and qualified provider can help determine what is appropriate; this guide cannot select a device for an individual.

Eight questions to confirm before installation

  1. Who receives the alert? Ask whether it goes first to a professional call center, 911, family, a neighbor, or another contact.
  2. What connection does it use? Confirm whether the specific system needs a landline, cellular signal, internet service, a base station, or more than one connection.
  3. Where does it work? Ask about the usable range inside and outside the home, including bathrooms, stairs, garage, yard, and shared building spaces.
  4. What happens during an outage? Confirm battery backup, charging, low-battery alerts, cellular or internet failure procedures, and who restores service.
  5. How is it tested? Learn how often the participant should test the button, how to announce a test, and who documents or follows up on a failed test.
  6. Who maintains the equipment? Clarify cleaning, charging, repair, replacement, lost equipment, software updates, and after-hours technical support.
  7. What information is shared? Ask what contact, location, medical, access, or emergency information the provider stores, who can see it, and how it is updated.
  8. What costs are authorized? Confirm installation, equipment, monthly monitoring, telephone or connectivity charges, repairs, and participant responsibility before signing.

Build the response plan around the alert

The device starts a communication process; the response plan determines what follows. Create a short, current list of contacts and identify who may enter the home, who has a key or approved access method, who can support pets, and who should be notified after emergency services are called.

Do not list someone as a responder without their agreement. Confirm the order in which contacts are called, when the call center should contact 911, what happens when no one answers, and how language or communication needs will be handled. Review whether the participant wants family notified after every alert or only under defined circumstances.

Keep essential information accurate without oversharing. Emergency responders may need a current address, apartment number, entry instructions, communication needs, mobility considerations, allergies, and key health information. Ask the provider and service coordinator how to share and update this information securely.

Plan for false alarms and missed alerts

Accidental button presses happen. The participant should know whether to stay on the line, tell the operator it was an accident, or follow another provider procedure. A family should never discourage device use because of embarrassment about a false alarm.

Also plan for the opposite problem: the participant cannot activate the system, the device is not being worn, or the signal does not connect. Scheduled check-ins, home-care visits, medication routines, fire alarms, and other supports may still be needed. PERS is one layer of a broader plan, not a substitute for every other support.

Test, review, and update

Ask the provider how to complete a routine test without triggering an unnecessary emergency response. Check the device after installation, after a move, after telephone or internet changes, after prolonged power loss, and whenever the participant reports that it did not work as expected.

Update contacts when a family member changes phone numbers, moves, becomes unavailable, or no longer agrees to respond. Review the plan when health, mobility, communication, cognition, living arrangements, or daily support changes. Nebraska's current provider policy explains that the person-centered plan may be revised when needs or health-and-safety risks change.

How Nebraska AD Waiver planning works

The Nebraska DHHS AD Waiver page states that a service coordinator helps coordinate and oversee waiver services and develops the person-centered plan with the participant. The current AD Services eligibility sheet lists PERS among services that may be available and explains that the participant works with the service coordinator to determine which services they qualify to receive.

Bring a description of the safety concern, current supports, home and connectivity details, the participant's preferences, and any communication or accessibility needs to the planning conversation. Ask what assessment or documentation is required, which providers may be selected, what costs are authorized, and what must be added to the written plan.

Discuss aging-at-home support with Veracity Systems

Explore Veracity's Nebraska AD services, read the AD Waiver getting-started guide, or start a service inquiry. Veracity can discuss its current service scope and capacity; Nebraska DHHS and the assigned service coordinator make program eligibility and authorization decisions.

Prospective caregivers can review caregiver and direct-support opportunities and complete the caregiver application. Advertised caregiver pay is $18–$21 per hour, depending on state, role, experience, and assignment. An application does not guarantee employment, placement, hours, or a particular rate.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Nebraska AD Waiver Personal Emergency Response System?

Nebraska DHHS describes PERS as an electronic device that helps a participant contact someone in an emergency. The system notifies a designated person or call center after the participant presses a button. The participant's assessed need, person-centered plan, authorization, provider arrangement, and current waiver rules determine whether the service is available.

Is PERS the same as having a caregiver in the home?

No. A PERS device sends an alert; it does not provide hands-on assistance, continuous supervision, medical monitoring, or a guaranteed emergency outcome. Families should clarify what the system does and maintain a separate plan for scheduled care and situations in which the participant cannot activate the device.

Does every PERS require a landline?

Do not assume so. Nebraska's current quick guide describes a system connected to a telephone, but products and local connectivity arrangements vary. Ask the authorized provider whether the specific device uses a landline, cellular connection, internet service, or another technology and what happens during an outage.

Does contacting Veracity guarantee PERS or another AD Waiver service?

No. An inquiry does not establish Medicaid or waiver eligibility, assessed need, authorization, provider acceptance, funding, staffing, equipment availability, or a start date. Nebraska DHHS and the assigned service coordinator are the authoritative contacts for program decisions.

Authoritative resources

Sources reviewed October 27, 2026. Program rules, service definitions, technology, authorization, and provider availability can change.

General-information notice: This guide is educational and is not an eligibility determination, service authorization, safety assessment, emergency plan, equipment recommendation, guarantee, or medical, legal, financial, contracting, technology, or individualized advice. Confirm current requirements, assessed need, authorization, provider qualifications, equipment specifications, costs, privacy practices, connectivity, response procedures, and availability with Nebraska DHHS, the assigned service coordinator, the selected provider, emergency professionals, and other qualified advisers.