The new generation of wearable medical alert systems
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Times are changing for medical alert systems, those wearable devices that can summon emergency help if you've fallen and can't get up. Once the target of comedians (a stigma that kept some seniors away), the systems are now in big demand, per-haps because of an aging population, advances in technology, and the reality that one in three adults 65 or older will fall one day. Sales of the systems are rising steadily, expected to reach $21.6 billion by 2020, according to some marketing re-search estimates. "I think the baby boomers are embracing this more than the previous generation. They may be more comfortable with this technology," observes geriatrician Dr. Suzanne Salamon, a Harvard Medical School assistant professor.
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