The UK has an ageing population, which means that pressure on hospitals and the care sector is increasing. Waiting times for both planned and urgent medical treatment are on the rise. Thankfully, personal alarms can help. Having a personal alarm system can help people continue living safely in the comfort of their own home, rather than moving into a care home or staying in a hospital bed that is in demand.
This article will explain how personal alarms work. We will also discuss why the personal alarm service is necessary, before taking a look at the different kinds of alarms we offer.
A keysafe is so much safer than hiding spare keys underneath plant pots and doormats, which can make you vulnerable to thieves. With a keysafe, keys will be safely stored behind a secure combination lock. Only those who know the code will be able to open the keysafe and access the keys inside.
We recommend that you share this code with your emergency contacts. You should also share your code with our Response Team, who can then pass it on to the emergency services during an emergency. This way, paramedics will be able to enter your home quickly and safely to assist you, without causing any costly damage to your property.
There are three Keysafes on offer at LifeConnect24:
Help When You Need it Most
A personal alarm is an ideal solution for elderly and disabled people, especially those who live alone. Accidents and medical emergencies are always a worry for those who live by themselves. What would happen if you had a fall? Even for people who live with others, it can be difficult to get the help you need in an emergency. Statistics show that falls are the most common cause of hospital admissions and injury-related deaths in people over the age of 75. In fact, deaths as a result of falls more than doubled between 2008 and 2016.How Personal Alarms Can Help
Personal alarms can help prevent these problems. If the wearer suffers a fall, one touch of their pendant button will raise a call for assistance. There are even alarms with built-in fall detectors. These intelligent devices will automatically raise a call for help if the wearer suffers a fall. Without a personal alarm, there is a chance that an elderly person could be lying on the floor for hours, or even days, before somebody comes to visit. Even if you never need to use it, a personal alarm can be a significant boost to your confidence. Users will feel more secure and enjoy living in the comfort of their home, rather than feeling forced to go into a care home.Read more about the benefits of having a personal alarm
How Do Personal Alarms Work?
Personal alarm systems tend to come in two parts. The first is the base unit, which connects to the mains power and telephone socket. The base unit is the system's hub. It contains a built-in speaker and microphone, which is how the Response Team will speak to the user. The traditional example of a personal alarm base unit is the Lifeline Personal Alarm - our standard personal alarm system. The second part of most alarm systems is a pendant button. The user should wear their pendant throughout the day, whether they are inside the home or outside in the garden. In an emergency, the user should press this button to call for assistance. Pressing the alarm button will raise an alert with the Response Team. A member of the team will answer the call and ask the alarm user what has happened. This will help them determine the best course of action. In most cases, the Response Team will call on the user's chosen emergency contacts to come and help them. If it's a medical emergency, the Response Team will also call for an ambulance. There are also personal alarms with extra safety features such as fall detection. Next, let's take a look at the types of personal alarms we provide.Lifeline Personal Alarm
The Lifeline Personal Alarm is a traditional alarm containing reliable telecare technology. It is manufactured by Tunstall in the UK and is their sixth-generation personal alarm unit. The base unit is compact and comes in a grey and white finish. The unit will easily fit in with other bits of furniture at home. However, Tunstall are phasing out this model – at LifeConnect24, we are recommending that customers upgrade to our new SmartLife Alarm.Key Features
The Lifeline Personal Alarm features a built-in loudspeaker and microphone. This allows for easy two-way communication between our Response Team and the alarm user. The loudspeaker is designed to be loud enough to be heard even from another room. However, even if you can't hear the Response Team in an emergency, there is no need to panic. Help will still be arranged and sent to your home. The personal alarm will also continue to work during a power cut. The Lifeline Personal Alarm has a backup battery with a 40-hour charge. In the event of a power cut, this battery will kick-in to ensure that you can still call for help if you suffer a fall during this time. Once the power cut is over, the backup battery will automatically recharge itself so that it is ready to boot up if another power cut occurs.How to Install the Lifeline Personal Alarm Unit
The unit couldn't be easier to install. Anyone can set it up in minutes, whether it's the alarm user themselves, or a friend or relative.- To begin, plug the personal alarm unit into the existing telephone socket.
- Next, plug the telephone into the back of the alarm unit with the adaptor provided.
- Finally, plug the alarm unit into a power socket and the device will be ready to test.
- Weight - 572g
- Dimensions - 185mm x 122mm x 41mm (WxLxD)
Read more about the Lifeline personal alarm unit
What the Buttons Do
There are only three buttons on the Lifeline base unit. Each of these buttons has a simple function:- Red Help Button – This works in the same way as the red pendant button. You can press this button in an emergency to raise an alert call.
- Green Cancel Button – If you press your red button by mistake, there is no need to panic. You can press the green button to cancel the call. Don't worry if the alarm call isn't cancelled in time. The Response Team will always be glad to know that you are alright.
- Yellow Home/Away Button – This button is not normally used in the Lifeline Alarm service. Please do not press it unless the Response Team instruct you to.
Read more about the three buttons on the base unit
MyAmie Pendant
Our standard personal alarm system comes with a Lifeline Personal Alarm Unit and a MyAmie Pendant. The pendant is small and discreet, which ensures that it can be worn comfortably and won't attract attention. In fact, the pendant is half the size of the previous model – but the emergency button is a third larger. You can choose to wear it as a necklace or around the wrist like a watch. Both attachments are included alongside the alarm.Key Features
- Water-resistant – The MyAmie can be worn in the bath or shower, where falls are more likely because of slippery surfaces.
- 100 Metre Range – The pendant will work outside in the garden. It has a range of up to 100 metres, which means that alarm users can still enjoy playing with their grandchildren outside or tending to their garden.
- No Charging – The MyAmie uses batteries, which last around seven years. We will issue replacement batteries before they run out.
Read more about the MyAmie Pendant
Fall Detection
For extra peace of mind, lots of users choose to upgrade to a Fall Detector pendant. The Vibby Fall Detector is sleek, stylish, and technologically advanced. Users can wear it on the wrist or like a necklace, just like our standard pendant. The main difference is that the Vibby can detect when the user suffers a fall and automatically send an alert call to our Response Team – there’s no need to press a button. The Vibby pendant is compact and comfortable to wear, made from hypoallergenic plastic with a modern white finish. It weighs only 35g and is no bigger than the face of a watch. It's also water resistant, so you can raise an alert if you fall in the bathroom. You can also press the face of the Vibby pendant to raise an alarm call, whether you have fallen or not. A red LED light will flash to confirm that the alarm has been raised. The Vibby pendant will also vibrate to confirm that an alert call has gone through to our Response Team. To cancel the alert, simply cover the face of the Vibby with your hands or stand up within 20 seconds of the fall. 1 in 3 people over 65 will have a fall every year. A fall detector alarm can give you the reassurance you need to live confidently at home. It will also give your family and friends some much-needed peace of mind.Read more about the Vibby Fall Detector
LifeConnect24 Response Team
All of our alarm users are connected to the LifeConnect24 Response Team. The team operates 24 hours a day, which means that somebody will always respond when you press your pendant. What's more, the Lifeline Response Centre has received Platinum accreditation from the TEC Services Association (TSA) for our life-saving service. The TSA is the industry and standards body for Telecare and Telehealth services in the UK. We use the latest technology to ensure our service is reliable. Moreover, our team have dedicated hotlines to local ambulance services across the country. This speeds up the process even further, ensuring that help will be on its way within a few minutes.What Happens When You Press Your Button
Whenever a user raises the alarm, the Response Team will receive an instant alert. Here's what happens next:- A team member will respond within seconds. They will speak with the alarm user over the loudspeaker to see what has happened.
- The Response Team will assess the situation by asking the user a few simple questions. This helps us determine the best course of action.
- The team member will call your emergency contacts and explain what has happened. If necessary, they will also notify the emergency services. If the user has provided any medical information, the team will pass this information on to paramedics where appropriate. This places them in the best possible position to help once they arrive on the scene.
- The team member will keep checking on the alarm user to reassure them and monitor their welfare while they wait for assistance.
- Help will arrive at the front door. With a keysafe installed, paramedics will be able to gain access to the property even if the door is locked.
Read more about the Response Team
Emergency Contacts
Emergency contacts are an important part of our service. These are the people we will contact when an alarm user presses their alarm and needs help. Our Response Team will call them, tell them what's happened, and ask them to travel to the alarm user's home immediately. Alarm users select their emergency contacts during the set-up process, but can still change them at a later date. We advise choosing at least two people as emergency contacts. Most people choose one or more of the following:- Relatives
- Close friends
- Neighbours
- Carers
Once the elderly alarm is installed, users will be connected to our Response Team. The highly-trained team operates 24/7, 365 days a year to ensure that our customers always have somebody to call for help.
Read more about Emergency Contacts
VAT Exemption
Personal alarms are exempt from VAT. As long as the alarm user meets the criteria set by HMRC there is no need to pay any VAT when you order the alarm. More than 90% of LifeConnect24 alarm users are eligible for VAT Exemption. To qualify for VAT Exemption, the alarm user will need to have a long-term illness, terminal illness or disability. Examples of conditions include:Personal Alarms - The Myths
There are a few misconceptions about personal alarms that may make some people hesitant to join our life-saving service. Our alarms are quick and easy to install and are very simple to use. One myth about personal alarms is that they won't work during a power cut. This isn't the case. The Lifeline Personal Alarm unit has a backup battery, which includes 40 hours of charge. Should a power cut occur, this backup battery will ensure that you can still press your pendant for help. Once the power cut is over, the backup battery will recharge automatically so that it is ready for the next power cut. Another myth is that you won't be able to wear your pendant whilst you're having a bath or shower. In fact, all our alarm pendants are water resistant. This means that if you slip or fall in the bath or shower, you can still press your pendant to raise an alarm with our Response Team. We've debunked the top five myths about personal alarms, which we hope will put minds at ease.Read more about the myths surrounding our service
Keysafes
Personal alarms can keep you safe at home. A keysafe adds an extra layer of security. Keysafes are secure metal boxes that you can attach to the exterior wall of a property. Inside the keysafe, the owner keeps one or more spare keys to their home.
A keysafe is so much safer than hiding spare keys underneath plant pots and doormats, which can make you vulnerable to thieves. With a keysafe, keys will be safely stored behind a secure combination lock. Only those who know the code will be able to open the keysafe and access the keys inside.
We recommend that you share this code with your emergency contacts. You should also share your code with our Response Team, who can then pass it on to the emergency services during an emergency. This way, paramedics will be able to enter your home quickly and safely to assist you, without causing any costly damage to your property.
There are three Keysafes on offer at LifeConnect24:
Looking After People's Well-Being
We've already discussed how the personal alarm service can help ease the pressure on the NHS, but there are so many more benefits to personal alarms. Having an alarm at home can boost the user's confidence and give their loved ones peace of mind. People who live alone no longer have to worry about what might happen if they have an accident. Day or night, somebody will always be there to respond and send help. Personal alarms also reassure families that their loved ones are being looked after. If anything happens, we can notify your family straight away. LifeConnect24 provides peace of mind to everybody involved. We hear great stories through our reviews and case studies about how the LifeConnect24 Alarm has made such a difference. One alarm user, Peter Johnson, had this to say about his personal alarm:"I just feel that I don’t have to worry as much anymore. With me, I have a greater risk of falling with my legs giving way, and if I do then there is just no way of getting back up off the floor. The knowledge that the personal alarm is there, and if something bad does happen that it is there, means that there is no need to worry so much." - Mr. JohnsonOnce you join our life-saving service you'll also be assigned a dedicated account manager. This means that if you have any queries about your account, you'll be able to give your account manager a direct call and talk about them over the phone.