Alarm systems in parent's home

[WobblyLondoner]

I've been talking to my mother about getting an alarm system fitted in her flat, where she has lived alone since my dad died a few years ago. She's fit and well, and gets out every day, but I worry about the fact that if she fell in the flat for eg she'd be very vulnerable, not least as her three children live many miles away (my sister is nearest, about two hours away).

This is the system we are looking at - taking.care/

She's considering it but wants to understand more about what would happen if she triggered the alarm. My understanding is she'd go through to someone who would assess the disruption and then call 999 if appropriate or one of her nominated contacts. We are hoping her brother and sister in law who live locally would agree to be one of these (though they are of a similar age).

I'm interested in any experiences people have had of alarm systems like this and anything we should look out for. I will also speak to the alarm company but interested in others' views too.

Have you looked at getting dm an Apple watch instead? It has a fall detection feature. First it vibrates and if there is no response, will call the designated person. I got one solely for this feature as I live alone and realised that if I fell off a ladder in my back garden, no one would know.

Thanks @MigsandTiggs. I'd not thought of that. The appeal of the alarm system is that there is a person she can speak to instantly via a call unit rather than relying on an automated call to us and then us trying to call her etc.

Check what your local council offers. My mum has a council run one and if she presses it she talks to the council who either send out a team to help or or arrange for medical attention if needed.

My Dad has one through the council, it costs about £15 per month.

It includes them coming out and fitting smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, a keysafe outside and testing the equipment.

It is 24hrs a day, when they get an alarm they 1st of all speak through the unit which is in the house to see what is happening, if no response they call whoever is on the list if they cannot get there they call an ambulance.

They will always try to get whoever is on the list to go, but if you cannot go you need to insist they send an ambulance.

They expect the person using the alarm to test it each month, my Dad enjoys doing that as they don't mind chatting.

It gives everyone peace of mind, but whoever is on the contact list needs to be aware they will ring you any time day or night.

Hi, not sure where you are based but where we are, if you organise it through the local council they have a service whereby a carer will come and assist you. They will help you if you have fallen and can also assist if e.g you have been incontinent. The service runs 24 hours a day and costs £50 every 3 months. Its run by Telecare I think. X

DM has telecare & she wears a fob on her wrist which recognises if she falls & if she can't phone me she taps the fob & the call Center rings her & if she doesn't answer they ring me or others on the list. Comes via the local council. Is v good. X

I'm in NI, but system is likely similar. Ours is Connect 24. If Mum's alarm is activated, the service provider calls her via speaker on a hub in her living room. If there is no response, they telephone me.

Just a word of warning. My mum's fall detector pendant also has a push button. She has Alzheimer's, so only the fall detector element is useful as she would never, in a million years, understand that she needs to press a button for help should something happen. However, I have had multiple false alarm calls, many of them during the night, sometimes three in a night, sometimes when I'm sitting having coffee with her! If Mum folds her arms or if she turns over in bed, it can activate the alarm. In saying that, if your mum has no memory issues etc, then she can answer the call from the central hub and tell them she's ok before they start contacting anyone else. My mum just ignores the disembodied voice calling her name from the hub and continues to watch 'Tipping Point', happily oblivious to the fact that her daughter will receive her gazillionth phone call of the week.

Where are you based? Not sure if they're nationwide but we recently used a company called Thames valley securitek, a small local firm. (I'm in Hampshire) and they were incredible! We'd got quotes from more well known big companies and we weren't happy (we live in a bit of a dodgy area) and they were fab.

I'm unsure if they do the whole of the U.K. though, but they had so many options and It's not often I rave about good customer services!

Thanks so much everyone, lots of really helpful comments here. My mother is in Scotland. Her council offer this sort of service but from the look of it the cost to her would be fairly similar to the private packages we'd be looking at.