Emergency buttons

[fataroundthemiddle]

Can someone please suggest which device is best for an elderly mother who lives alone .One of those bracelets or hang around your neck thing,that you press if you've fallen and can't get up..Also that works in the garden. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks

@fataroundthemiddle

Can someone please suggest which device is best for an elderly mother who lives alone .One of those bracelets or hang around your neck thing,that you press if you've fallen and can't get up..Also that works in the garden. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks

Looked on the internet and found what I was looking for.All the same,does anyone have any advice as to which one is best or any comments from personal experience.Thanks again

I would contact local council /social services,who may have a scheme that they run. For a small monthly charge they supply the alarm and man a response service 24/7 365 days . They can call an ambulance, next of kin or, in some areas, provide a visiting service. If you purchase an alarm privately you may not have the back up service . It is personal choice between medallion around neck or worn on wrist. In theory all good BUT the person at risk has to understand they must wear the alarm all the time and PRESS IT Easier said than done!!!!!!

My DM used the service her local council provided and had tried both the medallion and bracelet.
She did sometimes take it off and end up losing it. It often turned up in her laundry basket. She did need reminding to wear it, her carers used to check for it in the morning.

Thanks for your answers. I will look into it

We bought my DM an Alexa so she can shout at it when if she falls and it will phone me.

I set one up abroad for my nan, so don't know any specific brands in the UK. Some things to look for though:

• that its waterproof! Seems obvious, but some brands I found were only resistant to a splash and needed removing in the shower

• Check how the alarm is triggered, and if your mum has the dexterity to press it. Some have a 2 trigger squeeze, so unless both are pressed in together, it won't alarm. This has benefits, in not going off when someone is asleep or bumps the device, but equally can be an issue with someone with cognitive, or physical limitations and cant trigger it

• If its a pay-by-the month scheme, check what the overall costs would be and what this provides vs a system bought outright. Some bought outright still have a 24hr voice service.

• The voice service in my nans area meant that when triggered, a 24hr control would speak and she could hear them via the device to check what had happened, if they needed help etc.

• The other sort, didn't have a microphone for someone to talk to the person. When the button was triggered, it phoned a series of phone numbers that you programme in before using, and reads out a specific message. In my nans case, the trigger would phone my mum and if no one answered, then it would ring my aunt, then her daughter and do the loop of calls again. If none of those picked up, then the call went to the equivalent of 999 and a pre recorded message gave the address and patient details.

As said, systems in the UK might be different and social services in your area would be a good start. If your mum has a cognitive impairment or specific disability, then a specific organisation like age UK, Dementia UK etc might be a good resource too.