This 90-year-old says an emergency call bell saved her life. Her seniors apartment has since removed it

When Gwen Potter woke up in her London seniors apartment on Remembrance Day in 2022, she remembers feeling that something was "not quite right."

As she made her way towards the kitchen, she realized her legs were unstable and she couldn't move her body to sit down. Then, she blacked out. 

"Next thing you know, I'm on the floor looking up at the underside of my couch," Potter said, adding she later found out that she experienced a stroke.  

Potter laid on the ground for a few minutes before finding the strength to slowly drag herself to her bedroom, where she grabbed the emergency call bell string affixed to the wall and flopped back onto the bed.

A staff member from the Chelsey Park complex — which includes Potter's apartment, a retirement residence and long-term care home — rushed into the room and called for medical help. It was that call bell system and quick response that her daughter, Alison Potter, believes saved her mother's life.

"I don't know if her stroke would have been reversed to the degree that it was," Alison said. "I hate to think that it could've been even worse than just irreversible signs of stroke, but she could have died." 

Potter, now 90, lives in Chelsey Park's "independent living apartment building," where she cooks, cleans and takes care of herself.

However, in July 2025, Alison said she received a notice from Chelsey Park's executive director that the residence's call bell system would soon be disconnected. 

"It's not just my mom, but it’s everybody in that building. There’s concern. How are these senior citizens going to get help?” she said. 

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson from Chelsey Park said the system was "discontinued following repeated malfunctions and ongoing repair issues" in the independent apartment building, but would continue at the long-term care building. 

Cell phones and alarm systems not accessible

After publication, a spokesperson for Chelsey Park clarified Potter's apartment is not required to have a call bell system, as those are only mandatory in the retirement or care home section of the housing complex.

"Individuals requiring those services would reside in either the retirement home, which is located in a separate building with dedicated supports, or in the long-term care home, which is also a distinct building where care is delivered based on assessed needs," the unnamed spokesperson said.

Despite that, Potter and her family said they specifically chose the apartment because of the call bell. The website advertising the space lists emergency call bells as a feature at the time of publication.

Over the summer, Potter 's family received two emails verified by CBC News saying the call bell would be disconnected because it was old, adding that parts are no longer available.

Rather than replace it, the email said residents would be provided with a nurse's emergency phone number and recommendations for private alert systems. The four systems listed were subscription based, with prices starting at $35 / month, plus installation costs.

Potter said that was out of her budget, and not practical for her.

"When I had the stroke before, my hands wouldn't work … That's what concerns me: the fact that maybe I can get the phone but I wouldn't be able to press those buttons to make that call," she said. 

"I'm trying to put it off because of the expense. When you're on government pensions, you don't have that kind of money to put out each month," she said, adding that she's had discussions with fellow residents who are also reluctant to buy their own emergency systems.

Plea for more support

Potter said she enjoys living in her apartment at Chelsey Park because of the many activities offered and sense of community with other retirees there. 

For now, she has set up a system with a friend, whom she calls every morning before 8 a.m. to let her know she's doing OK. If the two don't get in touch, the friend is supposed to call the nursing station for a wellness check. 

Alison said she hopes Chelsey Park does more to help her mother and other residents, whether it's by installing a new call bell system, ordering all residents' personal alarm systems or reducing rent to help cover the added costs of personal alarms. 

"This has an economic repercussion for the seniors that are living there. I just feel like these people have given their entire lives to this society and we're not looking after them properly," she said.