What fundamental limitation characterized early Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS)?
Answer
They only provided assistance after an emergency had already occurred.
The early iterations of Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), often referred to as Telecare, operated on a strictly reactive model. This meant the system was designed only to summon help once an incident, such as a fall or sudden illness, had taken place. The user had to physically activate a worn device like a pendant or bracelet to transmit an alarm signal. Consequently, these systems offered minimal capability for proactive safety tracking or wellness monitoring, as they lacked the sensors and algorithms necessary to detect distress or decline before the user took action.

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