Calling for help
a guide to community alarms, 2003
(go to list of report contents)
Looking to the future
Community alarms are offering more services - at home and away from home
Our work on alarm units and portable triggers should help you to choose products you can use easily to call for help when you have a problem. Technologies are now developing to extend community alarm systems to provide more support.
At home
With people generally living longer and the majority wanting to stay at home for as long as possible, care providers are looking to technology for assistance. A survey carried out for us by ASAP of its member alarm providers showed over 80% of users are aged over 70, with 18% of these 90 or older.
Telecare systems are an extension of community alarms. They can monitor how well you are - through community alarm sensors - and call for help if you cannot set off the alarm. The fixed triggers which can be supplied with each model of alarm are listed in the test results for each model. Click on the links below or on the contents page to get to them. These include simple inactivity monitors, such as pressure mats to trigger an alarm call if you are not moving around for too long, and bed alerts if you are up and down all night. Fall detectors are already available, and health monitors - to measure sugar levels for people with diabetes, for example - are being developed. Community alarm schemes are starting to use the equipment that can provide these smart services. You should be fully consulted before being asked to use them.
Away from home
Mobile phones are now carried by many older people - sometimes for emergency use only. However our work on mobile phones has shown they are not easy to use if you are older or disabled. There are interference problems with hearing aids and the small keys and large number of functions can cause difficulty. See our Stay in Touch guide for help on choosing phones and telephone services.
Mobile communications technology is starting to be used to give people who are out and about a simple way to get help in an emergency.
The FreeWalker device is already in use in Hong Kong
The FreeWalker safety device is being introduced in the UK in 2003 (get in touch with the manufacturer for more details). You carry the wallet-like device and press its single button to speak to a call centre. The centre will be able to locate where you are within about 50 metres in cities, a bit further elsewhere. They will then contact your relatives or local volunteers, or the emergency services if necessary. Costs are expected to be around £200 to buy and about £2 for the service; rental options are not yet finalised.
In time there are likely to be other location-tracking devices designed for older people who might need to call for help wherever they are.
Report Contents
About alarms
What
is a community alarm?
How
does an alarm work?
Basic
choices
Who
will receive your calls?
Where can you get an alarm?
Alarms on test
Models tested
Antenna
Princess AP1000
Antenna
AP2000
CareSec
Homelink
Extra II
Horizon
II
IntelliLink
Lifeline
400
Lifeline
4000
LIfeline
4000+D
Lifeline
TalkBack trigger
S11
Carephone
Sayphone
In
Touch 1000
In
Touch 2000
In
Touch 2000 Package
Other information
Using
an alarm
Checklists
of things to look for
Alarms
in the future
Acknowledgements
Contact
details
