Personal alarms eg careline.

Forgot to say I am about 105 miles away and my sister lives in Cornwall. I’m was in Norfolk.

Until my mum died, she had a watch on her wrist where she pressed a button if in trouble. This worked really well when she had a couple of falls. She was called on her landline, and they ask if she is ok. You don’t need to answer the phone, she was in her bedroom. She said no and they came round, let themselves in via the key safe and tended to her. If they get no response, they come round anyway. If she pressed it accidentally, she would just say sorry, false alarm and they’d say ok. I think she got it through social services. I forget what she paid, about £200 a year I think, but this was a few years ago.

My mum had a pendant and when she fell she lay on the floor all night. When asked why she didn't activate it she said she didn't want to bother anyone! Obviously the people it would have contacted are paid to respond but I think they would then contact my brother who lived about 3 miles away. I don't know more than that as I lived over 200 miles away so wasn't ever contacted! It was a relief to me when she moved to sheltered accomodation with a warden. I often worried about her if I phoned and didn't get an answer as I didn't know if she had gone out somewhere or had fallen at home. She didn't have a mobile phone and if I rang my brother to check on her he would see it as a huge imposition! In the end her cleaners said if ever I was worried, to call them and they would go and check even though they lived a similar distance away as my brother!
Emergency pendants are only helpful if the user wears them and presses them if necessary.

Since I started this thread I have had numerous Facebook pages advertising call systems.
I did not look for information on systems anywhere, I only posted on GN.
One may have been a coincidence, the number I have received is certainly not.
We should be aware.
I only post on GN under a user name, as we all do, how is that linked to my Facebook?
I am actually quite concerned.
Any ideas?

I am trying with difficulty to remove my door key so that the keysafe could be operated. It is only a matter of time before I need to use it-I will be 83 this year and very careful. I religiously wear the pendant around my neck.

Thanks for posting this. Also thanks to cornergran for mentioning it might be better to go to the local council for an alarm like this.
I am thinking of getting one as I feel I am on borrowed time. 46 years ago I found my mother dead in her bed. He cat Toots was there in the room with her looking absolutely terrified. I have a dog and I don't want that to happen to him.
I went for a job at the Age UK call centre in Devon that deals with these calls. I spent the morning with the workers there and heard nothing but kindness and patience with real and accidental calls. I didn't get the job by the way ( too old ! )

** £31 per month.

I use Canary Care for my mum who is 95 and lives in her own home. There are motion sensors around the house and you can then set rules - ie. if she's not downstairs by 10am, it will send a text and e-mail alert to me, or if she stays in the bathroom longer than 2 hours, again it will alert me, or if the back door is open after 9pm etc etc. Very easy to install by sticking the sensors around the house and then setting the rules. Gives peace of mind to everyone.

My mum lived in a Peveril complex. I was actually there soon after she had an episode. I could not lift her, and she became unresponsive, and pulled her cord to get help. After no answer for what seemed like an age, I called 999. The ambulance took 10 mins, and still no answer. They lifted her, brought her round, checked her over, wrapped and put her in the ambulance, and still no answer until I was locking up to follow. Shameful!
My niece, who lives alone, has an alarm set up on her phone. She only has to press a preset number and it calls about 6 of us. It did very occasionally go off when it should not at the start, but seems quite efficient. But it does rely on her having it charged and on her person at the time.
My aunt had one from the local authority on a chain around her neck - when they found her, it was hanging on the front door lock - it does need a discipline that requires it to be worn and charged.

They are brilliant. I worked as a carecall operator for years. Some of the bracelets can also include falls detectors. When installed we ask for list of contacts and which order to call in for assistance. Eg. Although the person may have family, a next door neighbour may be willing to be called for assistance first. They do need to be pressed though. We asked people to press monthly to test and this worked as a reminder. They really do help independence, giving peace if mind to both person and family.

My father had one and used it a couple of times. The first time, they called me and I went round and waited with him for an ambulance. The second time he was in the bathroom in the night, and couldn't get up from the toilet. So he pressed it. They couldn't get hold of me and couldn't speak to him as he was in another room. They did activate a "welfare check" by paramedics, who took about 8 hours to arrive. They did get him to hospital, but it wasn't great.

Usedtobeblonde

Thankyou for the replies.
I was concerned about my two friends not using them.
It also concerned me that the alarm wasn’t triggered when my friend fell
I thought that would happen automatically.
Another thing my friend told me about some months ago is that when the land line phone system changes in a few months time the devices will all need to be changed to digital, this will be quite an undertaking.

I had a long but useful conversation with BT and they have agreed to leave my mum’s landline on the old network so there is no disruption. I explained that she is doesn’t have a mobile phone so her landline is necessary.
They will upgrade the line when she moves house.

I live in Wales and wear a ‘security ‘ pendent. The system is such that if ill or fallen or similar I press the button and as described above it is eventually answered to see what the problem is, if no reply someone is sent round with access to the key safe outside to come in and find out, then the relevant peoples are called, ambulance, fire, or whatever is needed. It doesn’t work outside the home tho so buying one to rely on if fallen away from home won’t work. My 2 sons take turns in paying for it for me every quarter ( £98+) . It is a bit of security blanket for me in the home, BUT if the same happened to me as previously, when I ended up in hospital, and generated the need for one after I returned home… it would be useless. I have kidney disease and was suffering from kidney stones. Went to bed in pain and shivering, etc, taking co codamol fir the severe pain, thinking it was another stones episode, which usually passed in one or two days, but that time I was actually suffering from a blocked stone and a UTI… I became unconscious and am only alive now because my neighbour and a friend missed me after 3 days / nights, couldn’t get into the house to check cos it was locked from the inside and called the Police. Who broke in and called the ambulance! The pendent wouldn’t have made any difference under the same circumstances! But a friend had one and fell in her house and was able to press her pendent and call for help. It is PARTIALLY useful depending on the circumstances.

The point is there are lots of different systems and one that's great for one person may not suit another.

Yes, dementia can mean that the system doesn't work well. FiL had a local authority system and they did come out to him a few times. But... he was deaf and couldn't hear properly when they called him - thought he was hearing voices - and forgot to wear his bracelet.

We did solve the problem of him leaving the key in the inside of the lock and thus rendering the keysafe useless. We fitted a "thumb lock" style lock to his front door. He could lock it securely from inside by pushing the lever but there was no keyhole inside.

I fear that giving people with dementia a tracker would be hit and miss as many, like my FiL, would just wonder what it was and take it off. He'd have found a way to remove it even if it had been supposedly tamper proof!

Witzend

All I really know is that they’re useless if there’s any degree of dementia - since the person will a) forget to wear it, and b) even if they do, will forget what it’s for.

In the case of people who still have a full complement of marbles, I am sure they have a very useful part to play.

Yes, but the automatic fall function could still of some use for a demented person who does not remove the button .

PS the radio response system is a two way radio contact---you can talk with the person in the office and tell what is the matter.
The radio response I have works all over the house via my pendant radio extension button on a lanyard around my neck. Some customers prefer a radio extension button on a wrist bracelet.

All I really know is that they’re useless if there’s any degree of dementia - since the person will a) forget to wear it, and b) even if they do, will forget what it’s for.

In the case of people who still have a full complement of marbles, I am sure they have a very useful part to play.

Usedtobeblonde

My friend couldn’t tell me if the team would come out or if they would call family.
Does anyone know this?

First, the care office responds on their radio which they have installed in your house. You can talk to the person in the office by radio. The office may ring you as well. (The service I use does not use battery radios.)

If you cannot for any reason answer the telephone the care office will send their own mobile responders who possess your Keysafe number. They let themselves in and assess the situation and do what they can. If an ambulance is needed they send for it.

Alternatively you can arrange for a relative or friend to be the first responder.

My personal radio alarm has an automatic fall function. I never used it as such but find it worth paying for --- currently more than £40 a month----as it keep me independent in my own home.

Over the Xmas period I called two times --

1. I fell early hours of Boxing Day falling from the commode

2. a heavy room divider fell across my bed when I and my dog were in bed. about 2AM on New Years Day. trapping me.

The two responders were quick to arrive, 15 -20 minutes, and were efficient.

We looked into an alarm for my late mother. Things may have changed but the ones we looked at, once the alarm was activated, relied on ringing a local relative or friend to go and check on the person. As none of us were local ( and the neighbours were elderly) we did not think it would work. Mum ( who until her sudden last illness had been independent and fit) was not keen.

I was given a small second pendant to wear if the larger one is charging. Mine frightened me because I was asleep when the pendant went off for the first time to tell me to recharge it. I had never done it before, and it also caused the base to ask me if I needed help. I certainly didn't need a fleet of ambulances outside, so I recharged it and returned to bed, picking it up the next morning.

I live on my own and have no family, so this system makes me more independent.

*out and about

Sarnia good to know it works when put and about though!

After being diagnosed with a second heart condition a year ago, my family persuaded me to get one. Mine is GPS so goes everywhere with me. I find it comforting to have help at the touch of a button. However, after the initial getting used to wearing it, you do tend to forget it's there.
I have accidentally set it off at times. When I was in Tesco recently I reached up to get a bag of frozen rice from the cabinet above the floor freezer and it caught on the handle of the trolley and went off. It brought the immediate area to a standstill as my pendant started flashing red and a loud voice said they were aware I needed help. They are very nice when I explain what had happened.