Author: Natalie Mayhew

What is a personal alarm you ask? Personal alarms are becoming a common method for enjoying greater peace of mind associated with independent living.

Now that more people are reaching retirement age, the care sector is under greater pressure to provide elderly care services. This means fewer people – both old and young – are getting the planned treatments they need, and healthcare professionals are having to look for new ways to streamline services.

Telecare services offer remote care for elderly and less physically able people. They minimise pressure on core services and make it easier for older people to live in their own homes. Personal alarms are one of the most popular types of telecare systems, and during the pandemic they played a key role in keeping vulnerable people safe.

If you’re interested in a personal alarm for an elderly relative, keep reading. This article explains everything you need to know about pendant alarms, including how they work and the different types on offer, as well as the monitoring service that accompanies the wearable device.

What is a personal alarm, and how do they work?

Personal alarms are known by lots of different names – from pendant alarms to elderly care systems and fall detection devices. They offer a fast and effective way for people who live alone to call for help and can significantly reduce the time it takes for someone to receive emergency care. The NHS recognises personal alarms and monitoring systems as a way to maintain safe independent living.

Personal alarms usually feature two separate devices: a base unit and pendant alarm. The base unit features a small multi-network SIM that sends and receives data from your telecare provider, and the pendant contains a radio transmitter that lets the base unit know when the panic button has been activated. Together, the two devices allow the wearer to call for help from anywhere in their home or garden.

People use personal alarms for lots of different reasons. Some use them because they are at risk of a fall or medical emergency, while others simply enjoy the security that comes with knowing help is nearby. Whatever your telecare needs, there’s something for everyone at SECOM CareTech. Our top-of-the-range devices are monitored by a fully accredited team of trained security professionals so you can rest assured your loved one’s homecare independent living needs are always met.

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Pendant alarms

Pendant alarms are designed to be worn around your neck and are a good option for those who might misplace their alarm. They are often mistaken for pieces of jewellery, particularly if they are as highly stylised as ours, and can be worn under your clothes for added discretion. CareTech by SECOM’s pendant alarms for the elderly are waterproof, so there’s no need to take them off when bathing.

Care Hub

Our Care Hub package includes the Pearl, a small pendant alarm full of great features. The two-way radio transmitter that sits at the heart of the elderly personal alarm communicates directly with your base unit, keeping you in constant contact with a member of our monitoring team.

The pendant can be worn in both hot and cold water, perfect for keeping you safe while you bathe, and its 300-metre signal range is more than enough for most domestic settings.

Care Hub is a personal alarm linked to a relative’s mobile phone. If a user presses the SOS button, the system sends a message to the SECOM Care app. Loved ones can then use the app to let us know if they are responding or need us to step in. If your emergency contacts do not answer or are unavailable, a member of our monitoring team will respond immediately.

They will know who you are, where you are calling from and any medical details you have shared with us. They will assess the situation and coordinate with the emergency services to make sure you receive the help you need. This is why a pendant alarm offers great peace of mind.

Fall detectors

Fall detection devices use sensors and algorithms to monitor changes in direction and speed to figure out if you’ve suffered a fall. If your device is activated, the pendant sends an SOS signal to your monitoring centre. Your telecare provider can then work with your contacts and the emergency services to make sure you are okay.

Why use a fall detector?

Fall detectors are designed to limit ‘long lies’ and make sure you receive medical attention as quickly as possible in the event of a fall. Most users wear them because they suffer from one of the following conditions:

● Limited mobility
● Frailty
● Cognitive difficulties
● Epilepsy
● Diabetes
● Parkinson’s disease

As well as being distressing, a long lie can have significant health implications, including delaying medical treatment and exacerbating other conditions. One of the biggest issues associated with a risk of falling is the individual’s loss of confidence. An elderly fall alarm can help reduce this anxiety.

Care Hub Plus

Our Care Hub Plus package is a dual personal alarm system. It includes the Care Hub, a base unit that connects directly to our monitoring centre, and the Pearl Advanced, a pendant alarm with fall detection technology.

These two fall detection devices work together to call for help in the event of a fall, and can be used by the wearer to manually raise an alarm, either by pressing the SOS button on the pendant or sending an alert from the base unit.

If the Pearl Advanced detects a fall, it sends a distress signal to the base unit and starts to beep. This gives the user ten seconds to deactivate the alarm using the pendant’s ‘shake to cancel’ feature. If the alarm isn’t cancelled, the base hub sends an SOS signal to our monitoring centre and your emergency contacts.

GPS alarms

Traditional elderly care alarms have been around since the early 1970s. There have been several advances since then, including updates in fall detection and multi-network communication. But one of the biggest changes is the introduction of GPS personal alarms for the elderly.

GPS alarms can be used anywhere and support two-way communication. They allow your telecare provider to establish your exact location so no matter where you are – whether in the garden or walking to the shops – you are covered every step of the way. Knowing you’re able to speak to the monitoring team during an emergency also promotes independent living.

Care Go

The Care Go pendant is a personal alarm that can be used at home, in the garden or out and about. It features built-in location tracking and comes with its own wireless charging station.

Never be without the protection of a safe personal alarm, as the Care Go is water resistant and can be worn as a pendant or attached to your keys. The pendant lasts for up to a month on a single charge, and the unique light ring encasement glows whenever the battery is low.

To call for help, wearers need only press and hold the panic button on the personal alarm device. We will then speak to you via the device’s built-in speakerphone to assess the situation and make the appropriate arrangements regarding your care.

Take a look at the full selection of devices from SECOM Caretech and discover what is the best personal alarm for your elderly relative.

Knowing which personal alarm is right for your elderly relative can be tricky. Millions of families struggle with the dilemma every year, and it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. Before you start looking for a personal alarm it’s good to know and consider the things below.

What is a personal alarm?

Personal alarms are a type of personal safety device. They are designed to keep you safe and make you feel more confident living on your own.

Personal alarm systems typically feature a pendant alarm and base unit. If at any time the wearer feels unwell or suffers a fall, they can press the panic button on their device to alert the monitoring centre.

At SECOM CareTech we have our own monitoring centre. So when a user activates their personal alarm, an SOS signal is sent to our 24-hour response team and the user’s emergency contacts via the SECOM Care app. Friends and family can then use the app to let us know if they are responding or need us to step in.

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Why do older people use personal alarms?

There are various reasons why older adults use personal alarms for the elderly. Here are some of the most common:

Greater confidence

Lots of things can knock your confidence as you get older. Among the top causes are changes in health and mobility. Using a personal alarm can give someone in later life the security they need to stay active, maintain their physical health and become more confident.

Fall detection devices

People aged 65 and over are the most at risk of falling. Our fall alarms use clever motion sensors that detect sudden changes in direction and speed to work out if you have fallen over. If you do, the fall detection device can automatically send an SOS signal straight to your telecare provider so they know you need help.

A long-term health condition

Conditions like diabetes and arthritis become more common with age. These health issues make people more susceptible to falling over and increase their chances of feeling unwell and needing the emergency services.

Personal alarms allow elderly people to send for help at the press of a button. Our monitoring team is on hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can share your medical details with the emergency services so they know what to expect before they arrive.

A cognitive disorder

Cognitive decline usually occurs after the age of 70. The onset of cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease makes it harder for elderly people to take care of themselves.

A GPS pendant alarm allows the user to keep track of where they are. If a wearer gets lost, they can press the panic button on their personal device and ask the call handler to use the pendant’s GPS functionality to find out where they are.

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What features should you look for in a personal alarm?

Appearance

Personal alarms come in lots of different shapes and sizes. Some are small and subtle, while others are more conspicuous. When shopping for a safe personal alarm, it’s important to think about how it looks. Many elderly and disabled people don’t want to wear a personal alarm that draws attention to their age or disability.

Wearability

Personal alarms are designed to fit around your life. They are small enough to wear 24 hours a day and can be worn on a necklace, wristband, brooch or keychain. Before buying an elderly personal alarm, ask your relative how they would like to wear their new device. This will make it much easier for them to integrate it into their everyday life.

Battery life

Inside every personal alarm is a battery. These power the device and make sure it’s always ready to raise an alarm.The batteries inside most pendant alarms are very reliable and have a lifespan of about five years. This ensures you never have to worry about your device losing function unexpectedly. High-quality alarms (such as the ones we supply) send low-battery warnings to our monitoring centre so we can replace them in a timely manner free of charge.

Signal range

Our Care Hub and Care Hub Plus packages use two separate devices to keep you safe: a base unit and a pendant alarm. The base unit contains a SIM card for contacting our monitoring centre, and the pendant alarm uses a small radio transmitter to send an SOS signal to the base unit. Together, the two devices let you raise an alarm from anywhere in your home.

If you’re interested in a similar system, keep in mind the signal range of the two devices. Most can cover the whole house, keeping you safe in every room. But if you or a loved one is a keen gardener, you’ll need to invest in a safe personal alarm with sufficient range to protect you indoors and out.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

GPS alarms, such as the Care Go, are designed for more active seniors who want to continue their independent living with confidence. These devices can be used to call for help if the user feels unwell while they are out of the house. GPS trackers use roaming SIM cards to connect to the strongest local network and are ideal for families where wandering is an issue. If a user gets lost, they can press the button on their elderly personal alarm and reach the monitoring centre in seconds. The call handler will use the device’s GPS functionality to establish their location and send for help.

Fall detection

Falls are the biggest cause of emergency hospitalisation among the elderly and can result in “long lies”, a major contributing factor for older people moving into residential care. If your elderly relative is frail or suffers from a condition like Parkinson’s disease, a personal alarm with fall detection can significantly reduce their chances of falling over and being stuck on the floor for a prolonged period of time.

Waterproof personal alarm

Bathrooms are a high-risk area for elderly people to experience falls. As such, being able to use your personal alarm while you bathe is really important. Before subscribing to a monitoring service, check with your provider to find out what level of water resistance your pendant alarm has. Although most personal alarms come with a degree of waterproofing, providers don’t always make it clear how safe they are to use in the bath or shower.

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What should you look for in a monitoring service?

Picking the right monitoring service is just as important as selecting the right personal alarm. When you come across a provider you like, one of the first things you should do is evaluate how much information they offer about their products and services. The more diligent providers will want to help you find a personal alarm that’s right for you or your loved one, and may even ask to visit their home so they can assess the property.

Connectivity and futureproofing

Traditional telecare services operate using landlines. In recent years, personal alarm providers have started moving away from this type of connection in favour of SIM cards as the telecoms industry is replacing analogue telephone lines with VoIP, a newer digital technology.

The migration to digital is going to take several years, with the switchover lasting until 2025. Joining a personal alarm service that doesn’t rely on landlines means the migration to VoIP won’t affect your service or your personal alarm.

CareTech by SECOM offers futureproof personal alarms linked to mobile phones via its app. The digital switchover won’t affect the service, so you can enjoy ultimate peace of mind once you’ve chosen the best personal alarm to suit your elderly relative.

In-house monitoring centre

A personal alarm is no good without a 24-hour monitoring service. Before subscribing to a telecare provider, make sure they are accredited by the TSA, the industry body for Technology Enabled Care (TEC), and have a customer care line that users can call to resolve non-emergency and troubleshooting issues. Fortunately SECOM CareTech is TSA approved and has an award-winning monitoring centre and customer care team on hand.

In addition to verifying your provider’s credentials, ask if their monitoring centre is in-house or operated by a third-party company. Many personal alarm services outsource their monitoring, which means the people who monitor you could be employed by an external provider. By opting for a company that supplies both the personal alarm and monitoring, you know where your personal device has come from and who is monitoring it.

Pricing

The cost of a personal alarm service is usually no more than £450 per year. Reliable personal alarm providers will explain their pricing clearly, breaking down each payment. Most personal alarm services ask for a one-off payment upfront. This covers the delivery and registration of your device.

Once your device is set up, you will be given the options to pay for your 24-hour monitoring. You can pay for this in one go (usually the full contract period), annually or in smaller monthly instalments. Whichever is easiest for you and the individual who’s having their homecare independent living needs met.

VAT exemption

VAT is a sales tax added to goods and services sold in the UK. It is taxed at 20 per cent. Products and services that are sold to people with disabilities or those with long-term health conditions are sometimes exempt.

When shopping online, be sure to look for elderly personal alarms that exclude VAT if you or your relative qualifies . A quality service provider will advertise these lower prices.

To qualify for VAT exemption, you must either:

• Have a physical or mental condition that significantly affects your everyday life
• Be diagnosed with a condition that is regularly treated by a medical professional
• Be experiencing a terminal illness

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Which personal alarm is right for your elderly loved one?

Prior to beginning your search for a personal alarm, talk to your loved one about how wearing a personal device will make them feel. Personal alarms are proven to improve elderly people’s safety, but only those who wish to use them. If your relative says they will not wear their alarm, it’s important you listen. People who don’t wear their pendant alarm are in danger of friends and family wrongly assuming they are protected.

Once you are sure a personal alarm is what your loved one wants, talk to them about their health, mobility and budget. These things will help you decide which alarm they should get and the additional features they will need.

Take a look at our personal alarm table. It breaks down our range of personal alarms for the elderly into five categories: mobility, wearability, discretion, fall detection and GPS tracking. You can use it to work out which personal alarm is right for your elderly loved one.

When it comes to VAT exemption, many people shy away from finding out if they qualify because they worry it’ll be too complicated. Fortunately for you, we know a thing or two about it (most of our customers are entitled to VAT exemption) and we can help you work out if you’re eligible or not.

Below is our VAT exemption guide. It will explain everything you need to know. You can also give us a call. We’re always happy to speak to customers about their needs and make sure they’re paying the lowest price.

What is VAT exemption?

When products are sold in the UK, a sales tax known as VAT (Value Added Tax) is added to the sales price. Most products are taxed a 20% VAT. However, some goods and services are taxed at a lower rate or exempt from VAT altogether.

If you have a long-term medical condition, a chronic illness or are registered disabled, or the person you’re buying for is, then you may qualify.

How do I know if I qualify for VAT exemption?

To receive VAT relief, you must either:

• have a physical or mental impairment that has substantial, long-term effects on your everyday life,
• a condition that is regularly treated by a medical professional, such as diabetes,
• or a terminal illness.

The World Health Organisation regards any illness that lasts for more than three months as chronic or long-term. Below are just some of the conditions that may qualify you for VAT exemption.

How do I apply for VAT relief?

You’ll be pleased to know that you can apply for VAT relief at the point of order. Simply let us know over the phone that you’re entitled to VAT exemption and the nature of your condition. We’ll then send you a short form to complete with your registration. It’s that simple.

If you’re still unsure about your eligibility, why not give us a call?

0208 559 5451

Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8:30am-5.00pm

Personal alarms have been around since the early 1970s. They’ve saved thousands of lives since then as people have seen the benefits of personal alarms, but it’s only in recent years that they’ve really started to make a name for themselves, giving more people peace of mind while enjoying independent living.

It’s a mystery as to why these powerful little devices have been overlooked for so long when they have the potential to transform an elderly person’s life. Now’s the time to put pendant alarms in the spotlight! Read on to find out the benefits of personal alarms and reasons for opting for a personal alarm.

1. Get help fast

The main advantage of owning a personal alarm is being able to call for help quickly. Unlike a phone, they can be worn throughout the day and raise an alarm automatically if you fall. CareTech by SECOM’s personal alarms are even waterproof, so you don’t have to take them off when you bathe.

If your elderly loved one suffers from a long-term health condition, a personal alarm could make all the difference in an emergency. Personal alarms are proven to reduce the time it takes for older people to receive medical attention and are invaluable in the event of a stroke or heart attack.

Falls are common in the elderly, so it’s important to be aware they could happen. Instead of limiting your activities, this knowledge should help you put measures in place to protect yourself should you fall in your own home or garden and a fall alarm for the elderly should be an intrinsic part of your plan.

A fall alarm has sensors that are automatically triggered if your gait changes or your movements are unusual. That means you can get help even if you’re not able to push the emergency button on your pendant alarm. If you’re not in any difficulty, you can simply shake the fall detection device to deactivate the alert.

2. Stay independent

Safe personal alarms help elderly people maintain their independence. They are a great alternative to live-in care, and many older people prefer them to moving into a care home.

Sometimes elderly relatives worry that using a pendant alarm will make them less independent. But the fact is, the exact opposite is true. Personal alarms are designed to make you feel more confident living on your own and reduce your reliance on others.

They have been found to be an effective strategy to obtain immediate assistance and prevent a ‘long lie’ should the wearer experience a fall. Selecting a personal alarm should always be done in conjunction with the individual who will be wearing it and they can decide whether to put it around their neck, wrist or on a keyring.

3. Save money

In comparison to care services like home help and residential care, personal alarms are very reasonable. The cost of hiring a personal alarm with 24-hour monitoring is usually no more than £400 per year, and you can reduce the cost of renting an alarm by paying annually.

Many of the people who might be considering an elderly personal alarm could qualify for a VAT exemption. This could be because they have a long-term condition that means they don’t have to pay the 20 per cent tax, making a personal alarm and monitoring even more cost effective.

4. Peace of mind for the whole family

We all know what it’s like to worry about a family member. Young or old, anyone can be in an accident, and it’s natural to worry about those we love when we can’t be there to keep them safe.

When it comes to elderly relatives, the main concerns are falls and medical emergencies. By joining a personal alarm service, you can give your elderly relative a fast and effective way of reaching you and alleviate those worries.

A fall alarm linked to a mobile phone means you’ll be updated to any alerts as soon as they happen. Using the SECOM Care app is easy and if you and the other emergency contacts are not available, our monitoring team will step in and assess the situation, taking the necessary steps to ensure your loved one is safe and well.

5. Improve your chances of making a full recovery

When we feel unwell, the faster we receive help, the better. Personal alarms reduce the time it takes to receive medical assistance, significantly improving our chances of making a full recovery.

Every minute counts in the case of life-threatening conditions. Having a 24-hour personal alarm system means the emergency services are alerted right away if you feel unwell and know your medical details before they arrive.

Wearing an elderly fall alarm will also give you the reassurance that help is on its way. Experiencing a ‘long lie’ can be distressing and detrimental to emotional health, as well as physical. A number of the CareTech by SECOM personal alarms have two-way communication, so you can speak to a member of the monitoring team if you’re in distress.

6. Support the NHS

The NHS is a cherished national service in the UK. It played a key role in fighting the pandemic and is under constant pressure to look after those who pass through its doors.

One of the biggest problems for the NHS is not having enough beds. Most bed shortages occur when patients can’t be discharged because they don’t have the necessary support in place to be sent home. Giving someone a personal alarm reduces pressure on the NHS by accelerating the discharge process and minimising hospital readmission.

It also gives the patient the confidence to return to their own home sooner. With a fall alarm linked to a mobile phone, they’ll have the support they need at their fingertips should there be a problem.

If the worst should happen and an elderly loved one falls over, knowing what to do can help you manage the situation and take the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again. Remember, you’re not alone in helping to manage your relative’s risk of falling, which is an inevitable part of ageing.

There are organisations that can offer practical support and infrastructure to put in place to alert you in case your loved one falls in their own home. A fall alarm for the elderly can give both you and your relative the peace of mind needed to maintain independent living despite the possibility of a fall being a reality.

Personal alarms from SECOM CareTech

These are only six of the many benefits of personal alarms. As you can see, they make a huge difference to millions of lives every day. If you are interested in learning more about our personal alarms, take a look at our alarm packages in this link below. Each one is designed to solve a specific issue for someone living on their own.