Do you know anyone with a red button? Advice needed!

[BigTillyMint]

I'm looking for some advice on those emergency buttons, etc for old people who are at risk of having an accident / stroke, etc.

My mum had a minor stroke before Christmas and as she lives alone, I thought it would be a good idea if we can fix her up with one.

The problem is, I don't know exactly how they work, and I would like advice about whether there are special companies that operate them, how much they cost, who you would put on the emergency call list, etc.

So if you have any experience of them, advise me, please!

I would talk to Social Services or Age concern, they must be able to point you in the right direction.

Yes you're right. The problem is that I live 200 miles away, and my mum wants to be in-charge, and so she is trying to deal with it.

But it is all complicated by the fact that the stroke affected her speech - word-finding / explaining / understanding....

www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/personal_alarms.asp

Thanks for that - I must have googled it at the same time as you

You would need a couple of local keyholders to go in to your mum in emergencies. The system my aunt had was an alarm she wore round her neck with a button she could press. It came with a cordless phone style base unit and also a special box fixed to an outside wall containing a key (openable with the right PIN). If she'd pressed the button on it then first they would have rung her (on the base unit for the system, like a speakerphone thing, so she could speak even if lying on the floor). If no response from her, then they'd contact whatever named keyholders they had listed. If no response from them, then someone would be sent round to get in using the key kept outside.

So the initial step is to find local people happy to go in and check on her in an emergency - the alarm button round her neck then becomes the way she can summon them. Although I imagine if someone has no one local, you can still sign up, but in an emergency they send someone round straight away rather than contacting neighbours/family first.

Thanks UDBM!

She has lots of friends, so I'm sure she could get a couple to be keyholders.

I was just wondering whether certain firms are better than others - there were loads when I googled it. I guess the age-concern one must be pretty reliable?

I think we went via Age Concern - probably as good a place as any to start. Or social services could probably advise you - I imagine they have to suggest them to quite a few people and may have firms they could recommend.