•May 7, 2025•

How one Sullivan family revolutionized senior safety

Submitted

In the quiet town of Sullivan, Illinois, an idea was born that would eventually change the lives of hundreds of thousands of seniors worldwide. Ralph Kirk, a former English literature student, never imagined he would become a pioneer in medical alert technology. But his career and calling took a meaningful turn when he discovered how the developing field of computers could improve lives.

After college, Kirk accepted a position as Manager of Electronic Data Processing (computers) at Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Computers were new then, and he found them fascinating. There, he and his wife worked together and discovered a shared passion. “We were captivated by using computers to help people,” Kirk recalled. “It was much more fulfilling than anything we’d done before.”

When they were expecting their first child, the couple returned home to Sullivan, but Kirk stayed with the idea that technology should be able to make life safer for seniors living at home. That spark would soon ignite a national movement.

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