On a chilly January morning in 2025, an 80-year-old ADT customer collapsed inside his Hattiesburg, Mississippi, home. He wasn’t in pain and didn't know what was happening. He only knew he couldn’t get back up.
Living alone, the customer — who requested anonymity but gave ADT permission to share his story — did the one thing he could manage: He pressed the button on his ADT Medical Alert Pendant. A reassuring voice soon came through the speaker. It was ADT Monitoring Agent Stephenia Lee.
Recognizing that the customer was struggling to communicate, Lee dispatched emergency help. First responders were soon on the way.
The customer later learned he had suffered a heart attack. For Lee, the call reinforced a lesson she has carried throughout her 21 years with ADT: A reassuring voice matters, and so does acting quickly.
“When customers press that button, they don’t know if they’re going to get help or not,” she said. “Hearing my voice was reassurance for him that whatever was going on, someone was on the way to help him.”
Aging in place, with connected care
For millions of older adults across the U.S., remaining at home symbolizes maintaining independence, staying connected to familiar surroundings and continuing to live life on their own terms. For those who live alone, access to help during an emergency can provide an important layer of support and peace of mind.
ADT Health monitoring agents responded to 28,663 health alarms during 2025 in which customers reported an actual emergency, helping connect them with assistance when they needed it most.
“The number of health emergencies we respond to tells us this isn’t an occasional need. For thousands of customers, having a reliable connection to help is an important part of living safely at home for as long as possible,” said Andrew Droney, ADT’s Senior Director of Innovation & Home Health Programs. “ADT has spent generations helping protect what matters most to our customers. ADT Medical Alert allows us to extend that promise in a deeply personal way, helping protect not just the home, but the people living inside it, across different life stages.”
A human response, enhanced by technology
For many ADT customers, ADT’s Medical Alert system provides a direct connection to trained monitoring professionals and emergency responders when every second counts.
“The future of aging is not about asking people to give up their independence. It’s about empowering them to live safely and confidently where they choose,” said Mike Picciola, ADT's Vice President of Care and Monitoring. “By combining technology with caring human support, we can provide reassurance during everyday life and respond rapidly during emergencies.”
That combination of technology and human monitoring can also help first responders when emergencies unfold behind closed doors.
Kyle Hill, Fire Chief of Northeast Lamar Fire Rescue, oversees the department that responded to the customer’s call.
Hill said that the value of emergency response technology often comes down to one thing: time.
“It just helps reduce the time that the customer is lying on the floor or is in need of help,” Hill said. “It allows us to get there faster.”
Hill said having more information before responders arrive on scene can also strengthen the department’s response capabilities.
ADT’s monitoring network operates around the clock, with approximately 700 team members working across six company-operated monitoring centers in the United States.
An ADT voice that made all the difference
As of September 2026, the customer continues to live independently in the home he loves, with the confidence that help is never far away.
Looking back on the emergency, he remains grateful for the voice that answered his call and the response that followed.
“I’m on this side of the grass because of the ADT monitoring agent’s help,” he said.
Aging in place — by the numbers
- 24 million — Number of U.S. adults age 50 and older living alone, according to AARP
- More than 14 million — Number of adults age 65 and older who report falling each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- 93% — U.S. adults age 65 and older living in their own home or apartment, according to Pew Research Center