Summer is within arm’s reach and that means parents and children alike will add outdoor activities and, hopefully, a couple of summer vacations to their “to do” lists! The social schedules of today’s youngsters and teens can easily compete with those of their parents, so simply keeping up with everyone is a task in itself for busy families.

With that social freedom comes the number one worry on every parent’s mind—safety! Thankfully, kids and their “technology” are rarely separated. Did I just say that? So, keeping up with them is much easier these days and I’m a little jealous that some of these devices weren’t available when my boys were younger.

Most parents would not give their 7-year-old a mobile phone as a means of communication, but every one of those parents would love to be able to call or track their child if they went to the playground at the ballpark, wanted to ride their bike at the campground or got separated at a theme park on vacation.

One device that can provide that peace of mind is the LG GizmoPal, a communication tool for the child who isn’t ready for a mobile phone, but still needs to be in contact with you.

This lightweight, waterproof device fits on a child’s wrist and looks a bit like a watch. With GizmoPal, children can call two numbers that mom or dad pre-program into the device. One push of the button connects them to mom; two pushes connects them to dad. GizmoPal can receive calls from four pre-programmed numbers, so mom and dad have control of who contacts their child. Parents can set GizmoPal to “auto answer” so if your child doesn’t answer when you call, the device automatically answers and you are automatically talking to your child on speaker. It’s equipped with GPS so parents can also locate it on a map from their Smartphone, offering an additional level of safety.

In addition to GizmoPal’s GPS functionality, parents can receive location notifications at scheduled times. The ease of use with this device is also a useful safety tool for older family members who might not carry their phone with them everywhere they go. With one push of a button they are connected to a loved one who can help with anything they need. The GizmoPal is compatible with smartphones running Android 4.0 or higher and iOS 7 or higher and comes in pink or blue.

Personal safety should be a priority for every member of the family, not only the young ones. Older children who are completely independent, such as college students, or older family members who live alone need a resource for help in the event of an emergency.

Consider these sobering statistics:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that among older adults (those 65 and up), falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries. In 2013, 2.5 million nonfatal falls among older adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 734,000 of these patients were hospitalized.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that 1 in 5 women will be the victim of sexual assault or an attempted sexual assault while in college.

The Splash from GreatCall is a small, lightweight device that can be used as a panic button for young adults or as a medical alert service for older relatives—the waterproof Splash goes wherever it’s owner goes.

Those users with medical issues can also create personal profiles that only the medically-trained operators have access to so that in case of an emergency, they are are able to relay medical information quickly to first responders. Cost of the service is only $15 a month. The device can be purchased at several retail outlets and at GreatCall.com.

Technology is a great tool for staying connected, ensuring peace of mind and offering a one-touch feature to getting help when you need it most.

Ginger Daril is a mother of two tech-savvy teenagers and the public relations manager for Verizon Wireless in Arkansas, Oklahoma, west Tennessee and north Mississippi.