Leeza Gibbons and Betty White
Royal Philips today announced that its longtime customers, beloved comedienne Betty White and American talk show host and health advocate Leeza Gibbons, will team up with Philips Lifeline to start a candid conversation about aging from both the senior and a caregiver perspectives. Betty and Leeza will share their personal experiences with Lifeline, discuss the best ways to support caregivers like Leeza, help vital and active seniors like Betty age their way, and provide access to help in life-threatening situations like Leeza’s father experienced.
Aging impacts everyone – seniors and caregivers – in different ways. Philips Lifeline has played a significant, but different role in both Betty’s and Leeza’s aging stories. For Betty, Philips Lifeline helps her remain independent in the comfort of home; for Leeza, a medical alert service provided her father with access to help when she was miles away. To learn more about Betty White’s and Leeza Gibbons’ stories, please visit https://www.lifeline.philips.com/.
Getting Older on Her Terms
The 94-year-old Betty White – who has won a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite TV Icon,” was named America’s Most Appealing Celebrity by Reuters and is the oldest person to have hosted Saturday Night Live – first became a Philips Lifeline customer in 2012. She chose to get the service so she could continue to live independently in her own home. Currently a Philips Lifeline GoSafe user, she views the service as a way to continue to live the life she wants.
“I want to live life on my terms in my own home and doing the things that are important to me – just like any other person,” Betty said. “That’s why Philips Lifeline is so great. It gives me a sense of security and the peace of mind I need. Best of all, the button is lightweight and discreet and people never know I’m wearing it. Aging doesn’t have to be about being old; it’s about being safe and smart.”
Help When She Can’t Be There
While Betty White has used the service for more than three years without having an emergency, Leeza Gibbons had a very different experience with her loved one who uses the service. Leeza’s father, Carlos, is currently a GoSafe user and last year, suffered a heart attack at home. He was wearing his Philips Lifeline help button at the time, which provided him access to a Lifeline response associate who got him the help he requested.
“The trained response associates at Philips Lifeline are available to help my dad all the time, wherever he goes, and are there when his doctor and family can’t be,” Leeza said. “I know firsthand just how scary it is when a family member has an emergency and needs help urgently. I can’t express strongly enough how glad I am I had the conversation with my father about getting Philips Lifeline Medical Alert service. It’s not something he wanted at the time, and of course hindsight is 20/20, but you just never know when something might go wrong. Having Philips Lifeline truly helped save his life.”
Philips Lifeline is the number one medical alert service in the United States. Over seven million people have put their trust in Philips Lifeline, which offers a range of choices to help seniors maintain their independence including the on-the-go protection of GoSafe1, the automatic fall detection of AutoAlert2, or the peace of mind offered by HomeSafe.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Betty and Leeza in 2016 to feed the conversation on such an important topic,” said Kimberly O’Loughlin, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Home Monitoring, Philips. “Aging truly does impact everyone, and seconds do matter in an emergency. If we can prevent a trip to the hospital, shorten a hospital stay, enable someone to return home after an emergency, or just be there for a check in call, we are making a positive impact in people’s lives. Both caregivers and seniors need to know that there are resources and technology to help them discuss and decide how to stay safe, healthy and independent.”
For resources regarding how to talk to a loved one about getting a medical alert service, please visit: www.lifeline.philips.com/caregiver.
References
1With GoSafe, coverage outside the home is provided where AT&T wireless network coverage is available.
2AutoAlert does not detect every type of fall, but it offers protection a senior needs when a fall is detected. Of course, seniors should always push the help button if they are able to do so. Signal range of button may vary due to different environmental factors.
