Would you get a Personal Alarm?

Good morning all.

Thank you SO MUCH for your views. I will pass them on to Millie and we will see what she decides. I will let you all know.

She is a very sensible person and I am sure that she will discuss it with her children before deciding on one of the many solutions on the market.

My MIL had one that she wore on her wrist. She did use it a few times when she had fallen. The call centre would call her to see what the issue was, and if she needed an ambulance or family to check on her. Luckily her falls were not serious, more slipping out of her chair and not being able to get back up, so family nearby were dispatched to assist. I believe if they did not get a voice response from her then they would automatically dispatch an ambulance.

It did give us and her peace of mind. I believe the cost was relatively low, and if an ambulance was necessary there would be an additional cost by the health authority.

I have CareCall, which is run by my local authority. I wear the alarm around my neck and push the button if I need help. Its answered via a speaker so I can tell them what the problem is. Emergency contact details are stored by them and I have a key safe outside so they can come I if needed. Its very unobtrusive.

Have just read this news article about monitoring the use of appliances as a way of keeping an eye on somebody without the intrusion of a camera.

My Dad had one that was supposed to be used in an emergency, since he was disabled. It called one of my brothers.

Within a couple of years, he was using it whenever he got a bit bored or lonely. It drove my brother nuts - the phone would go off at 3am, he’d leap out of bed and drive over to Dad’s house, let himself in, and find he’d gone off to sleep again, or he just wanted a chat. If he was feeling a bit low, he’d push the button several times a day. My brothers took it in turns to respond, but it was really hard for them because my Dad constantly misused the alarm, but we knew that one day it just might be a real emergency.

Do make sure her family are ok with this before she goes ahead.

It's up to Millie how she feels about having internal "security' cameras. I have them & they are very unobtrusive. Enables me to see inside my home when I'm far away. I view them via an app on my mobile. If I'm out & wondering where my chap is, I can see if he's sitting in the lounge watching TV! He doesn't mind at all! My mum is of great age & quite fragile & has a dongle to wear around her neck to call for help but she too wants the security cameras.

I have another question.

In my travels I have come across some gadgets that allow the family to check on their mobiles that their relative is up and about and moving normally.

I would not be very happy about my children effectively 'checking up on me'. What do you think?

Am I being a bit silly? Would I change my tune if I was beginning to get a bit more fragile?

I have not voiced my concerns to Millie.

Thank you all for your comments. Millie would prefer to have any alarms go directly to her family who live about 20 mins from her and should be able to respond quickly to any alerts.

Also she is worried that if she has a serious glucose crisis, she will be incapacitated and unable to call for help, so the bracelet would not really address her concerns.

I think that in order to help her I need to try and find something that will somehow determine that she is in trouble and send the alert to her family.

I am really grateful for your feedback and would be interested to hear if any have negative views on the subject of getting the personal alarm.

Local Age UK normally have excellent advice on which ones and how much they cost.

My mother has a community alarm. There is a base unit you can press and one for round her neck. She has to pay for it but gives peace of mind. They have my number and a neighbour. She has a key safe thing at the door and all necessary people have the code - family, doctor, cleaner, neighbour. The council organised it.

I would definitely have one if I was her.

yes I would absolutely. At the moment I don't need one but I do carry my mobile phone around with me if I am doing risky things like going up ladders.

A great idea. I have one myself after passing out several times due to food allergy. My children don't live close by.

I got mine through my local council who do a subsidised rate through a firm called Telecare, and I wear the alarm on my wrist (though it can also be worn round the neck). It can be worn in the shower which is vital, of course. I never take it off.

No separate alarm cords needed anywhere in the house.

I have a keysafe outside so that people could get in if needed.

Having one of these gave me great reassurance, and also made my children feel happier that I would not be lying on the floor for hours.

Wonderful idea if you have researched who is going to answer it and how efficiently, and also if she will wear it all the time. She would need a separate alarm cord for the shower/bathroom too?