Alerting a care-provider when an elderly or infirm person in distress fails to acknowledge a periodically recurrent interrogative cue

An emergency hailing method for confirming a probable state of well-being of an at-risk user, comprising steps of:

• equipping the at-risk user with a wireless interrogative system comprising a base station and a portable hailing device;
• sequencing the interrogative system with an ordered pattern of abeyant modes and active modes;
• maintaining the abeyant mode for a first timed interval;
• setting the personal transponder to the active mode upon time-out of a first timed interval;
• sensibly cuing the at-risk user and initiating a second timing interval upon onset of the active mode;
• urging the at-risk user to manually acknowledge the sensible cue by actuating a responsion switch preferably included in the portable hailing device;
• resetting the abeyant mode and the first timing interval in response to the manual acknowledgment being timely occurrent during the second timed interval;
• measuring duration of a response time lapse between onset of the active mode and the manual acknowledgment;
• changing the first timing interval relative with a change in the measured duration of the response time lapse;
• and,
• evoking an emergency state signal upon finding a lacking of manual acknowledgment during the second timing interval.

An emergency hailing apparatus including a portable base station and preferably portable hailing device immediately associated with an at-risk user, comprising:

• abeyant mode control means operative for a first time interval;
• active mode control means enabled upon timeout of the first timed abeyant mode and maintained operative for a second time interval;
• manual response means integrated into the portable hailing device;
• sensible cuing means enabled by an onset of the active mode for prompting the at-risk user to timely actuate the manual response means during the second time interval;
• system control means for resetting the abeyant mode control means upon finding the timely actuation of the manual response means and to evoke an emergency state signal upon the finding of a lacking of the timely actuation;
• assessment means for measuring response time lapse between the onset of the active mode and the timely actuation of the manual response means;
• adjustor means for changing duration of the first time interval relative with the measured response time lapse;
• whereby, a failure by the at-risk user to promptly respond to a sensible cue may be interpreted as a probable cause for concern regarding the at-risk user's medical or physical well-being and as a sufficient reason for the evocation of the emergency state signal.