emergency call system

a portable device that summons immediate assistance for an individual who, due to illness or an impairment, may not be able to reach a telephone in an emergency. The device, which may be worn (e.g., on the wrist, around the neck) or carried, is generally a noisemaker, a one-way alerting device (e.g., an alarm), or an intercom that may be used to contact a neighbor, family member, or 24-hour monitoring station staffed by trained personnel. Often used by people in their homes, emergency call systems are also used in hospitals, long-term care institutions, and assisted living facilities.

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Psychology term of the day

November 24th 2024

cause

1. an event or state that brings about another (its effect).

2. in Aristotelian and rationalist philosophy, an entity or event that is a requirement for another entity or event’s coming to be. Aristotle proposed that there were four types of cause—material, formal, efficient, and final. In the case of a sculpture, for example, the material cause is the stone or metal from which it is made, the formal cause is the form or structure that it takes, the efficient cause is the sculptor, and the final cause is the sculptor’s aim or purpose in making it. —causal adj.