David Pierce, is single, graduated from ing a lot longer today; and there are
Birmingham Groves High School and
about 3 million senior caregivers in
Florida's Lynn University.
the U.S. already, with another million
The privately held Guardian always
needed over the next decade. Medical
has been at the forefront of security
Monitoring is a big assist!"
technology, with its familiar badge-
Douglas Pierce calls Medical
like logo and clever toll-free phone
Monitoring the ultimate "personal
number, "1-800-Stay Out." Milton
emergency response" and points out
Pierce remembers when bank alarms
"the idea for it was born when the
were little more than bells, and they
mother of a friend of ours actually
could be turned on and off with a key.
got stuck in a stairway in her house.
"Then we installed buttons for tellers
Someone finally found her and got her
to push to sound the alarm when a
out, but this system would have kept
robber showed up," he said. "We called
her in contact with us.
it a revolutionary device at the time
"In view of the health care crisis
Added Fraiberg: "In the '80s and
in this country, Medical Monitoring
'90s, thieves figured out they should
helps keep health care provider costs
cut the phone lines. That was before
in check and allows seniors and their
the cell phone boom so if the lines
baby-boomer children to maintain
were cut, the alarm company was out
independence and quality of life
of contact with the cus-
As second-generation Pierces,
tomer.
Douglas and Richard began
"But we came up with a
their alarm company careers
way to foil the burglars. We
with their own businesses for
developed a radio device
eight years; Douglas owned
that backs up the alarm
Automatic Alarm and Richard
and sends us a signal in
had Certified Alarm. "But we
30 seconds that some-
were like one-man bands,
thing is wrong. That really Douglas P
installing alarms ourselves all
ierce
revolutionized the security
the time and never getting a day
business. For years, we were the only
off," Douglas said. "So we merged our
company with that system!"
companies with Guardian Alarm in
Adapting with the times, Guardian
1975."
Alarm has diversified and also oper-
Attorney Sam Bernstein not only
ates Guardian Guard, a force of secu-
has been a Guardian customer for
rity guards used by 300 customers,
40 years, he calls Douglas Pierce his
and the company's latest innovation,
"mentor and adviser on both security
Guardian Medical Monitoring, which
and legal matters." Bernstein said,
allows elderly people to be moni-
"Douglas is an excellent business
tored and assisted by remote control
visionary and leader, and the Pierces
through motion-detection monitors
make up a great family. I really admire
and medication alerts.
their closeness as a family"
This includes call buttons for
Guardian alarms protect Bernstein's
seniors that sound in the Guardian
Farmington Hills office and his home.
control center, like an "I've fallen and
Fraiberg and Douglas Pierce say
I can't get up" button; two-way voice
their biggest challenge in the security
communication; video monitoring
business today is getting and keeping
of rooms where Alzheimer's patients
quality employees. "The technology
reside; and even automated medicine
changes about every three months in
dispensers.
this business and you have to train the
Fraiberg said, "Elderly people can
work force properly and make sure
warn us of their movements by wear-
they're kept up to date," he said. "And
ing a special bracelet or necklace. The
it's a bit of a struggle to do business in
medicine dispensers are monitored
Michigan today in view of the state's
and send us an alarm when a person
economy
forgets to take a pill at the prescribed
"But we foresee improvement and a
time. We then contact the person
comeback is in sight. I think the auto-
directly or the family depending on
makers are on the way up after hitting
the pre-arrangements.
rock bottom, and we're staying strong."
"We now have about 20,000 custom-
Another reason for Guardian
ers for Medical Monitoring alone in
Alarm's optimism is Milton Pierce's
13 states and sales are increasing each
desire for another generation of
month. We hope to eventually expand
Pierces — he has five great-grand-
to every state east of the Mississippi.
children — to join the business and
"The system costs customers any-
take the company to its 100th anni-
where from $500 to $2,000, depending versary.
on how elaborate it is. People are liv-

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