Alarms

Personal alarms enable the person you are looking after to remain at home and stay independent. Alarms differ from telecare as they are not connected to any outside call centre or agency but enable you and the person you look after to stay in touch and have peace of mind.

Many social services departments provide them for a small weekly fee, or free of charge following an assessment by an occupational therapist. However, if you are going to buy an alarm yourself, you need to consider which of the many options you want to chose.

Some alarms will alert a carer or neighbour, these include:

• Portable alarms. These are battery-powered or use pressurised gas and can be bought from  high street shops, through mail order or online. They are worn by the person you are looking after and make a high-pitched sound when triggered which can be heard for a limited distance.
• Fixed position alarms. These are based on a fixed transmitter and fixed receiver and are operated by a pull cord or similar trigger which sends off a high-pitched sound to alert anyone within a limited distance. Some systems can be fitted to automatically release door locks to allow a neighbour to enter the home when the alarm is triggered.
• Portable alarm with a fixed position receiver. These are worn around the neck or wrist, and the alarm can be triggered by the person wearing it. An alarm is sounded from a receiver mounted on a wall or other fixed position to alert someone within earshot.
• Portable transmitter and portable receiver. Both you and the person you are looking after wear the device around your neck or wrist. This makes it easier for you to be aware of when the alarm is triggered. It is suitable for a limited range such as when either of you is in the house or the garden.
  

You may want an alarm that can monitor the person you are looking after if you are in another room of the house. There are several including:

• One-way intercom. Similar to a baby monitor this portable system allows sounds or speech to be transmitted one-way only.
• Fall alarms. A portable device which is activated when the person wearing it falls beyond 20 degrees of vertical and lies without moving for eight seconds. A signal is sent to a portable pager or an auto-dial alarm telephone is activated.
• Movement monitors. Mainly used at night, movement monitors can alert you to epileptic seizures by detecting movement or monitoring vital signs. An alarm is triggered if the sensors notice something is wrong.
• Wandering alarms. Used largely to alert when a person strays, this alarm is activated by pressure sensors located in bedside mat or doorway or when someone gets out of bed. Some alarms are worn and trigger a warning alarm if the person goes through a door fitted with an antenna.
• Hypothermia alarm. Used to monitor the ambient temperature, the alarm is triggered if the temperature falls below a designated level.
  

Further Information

• Disabled Living Foundation produce a factsheet on alarm systems www.dlf.org.uk
• National research charity, the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs, provides independent information for disabled and older people including reports on community alarms at its website Ricability www.ricability.org.uk