The best community alarm in the UK 2023
Community alarm systems have been available since the early 1970s and the fundamentals have changed little. However, in the last few years, spurred on in part by the pandemic, use and interest in both digital telecare and digital telehealth have grown massively.
If you are a local authority you are probably regularly searching for different ways to help your adults and older residents be able to live independently and safely at home for as long as possible . Increasingly, Local Authorities are looking for solutions that go beyond just reactive alarms for emergencies and are looking for more proactive , preventative solutions with an alarm service acting as a safety net.
You might be a loved one or a relative of someone that needs extra support and could be overwhelmed with all the information that is out there on personal alarms for older people, and want to find out all the information you need in one place.
Or you might just want to see the differences between different types of alarms to identify which one best suits your needs.
If that is you then by the end of this article all your questions surrounding community alarm systems will be answered.
At The Access Group we make it a priority to put people first with everything we do. We want to give people the freedom to do more and promote the importance of person-centred support and care. We aware of the challenges facing local authorities with the current shortages in capacity, hospital discharge delays and the importance of delivering their responsibilities under the Care Act.
So, we want to ease this stress and help you find the best community alarm for you and your community.
What are community alarm systems?
Personal and community alarm systems are often small wearable alarms , worn either as pendants or watches that enable older or more vulnerable people get the help they need when they need it.
They give people the freedom to do more and live independently for as long as possible, provide reassurance and increase confidence.
They are designed with the intention to be safe and easy to use whilst also offering family and friends reassurance and a piece of mind.
Why are community alarms important?
Community alarms are important for many reasons. They can provide many benefits for different groups and organisations including: people and their community as well as local authorities.
People and their community:
Personal alarms are important for individuals and their community because it allows individuals to remain living at home and remain independent for as long as possible.
Community alarms allow individuals to live their day to day lives as they choose and receive help and support when they need it.
For individuals that live on their own, or individuals that a prone to falls, community alarms offer a solution to ensure if something does happen, support will be there for them, and at speed, when needed.
This minimises the consequences of events , for example, by reducing the amount of time spent lying on the floor after a fall.
Community alarms help individuals get the support they need fast. Evidence has proven that they can be potentially life-saving especially when individuals could be suffering a stroke or heart attack. For many reasons a single press of the pendant is often simpler than dialling 999.
Highly responsive community alarms can improve the chance of a full recovery and prevent the need for further admission into hospital.
Family and friends can be reassured that loved ones will get the support they require if they need it and can be alerted when this happens so they are not left to worry.
Local Authorities:
Community and personal alarms are important for local authorities to help ensure they are delivering more joined-up person centred care in their local community.
Under the Care Act it is their responsibility to ensure they deliver care that gives individuals the opportunity to be independent. They need to ensure they offer services that prevent care needs becoming more serious, and that they offer information and advice to their residents to help make positive decisions about what care is best for them.
With the ever growing issues of staff shortages and hospital discharge delays, investing in community alarms for your citizens ensures that individuals that are medically fit to go home can be discharged at the right time and recover in their own homes quicker. Community alarms ensures patients are being discharged to a safe environment and have the support there if they need it.
This accelerates the discharge process helping the NHS to meet their targets and frees up capacity in hospitals .
Community alarm systems – what are the types?
In terms of community alarms there are a variety of types to choose from to best suit yours or your local communities needs. These may include: basic alarms, pendant alarms, fall detectors, and mobile alarms.
Basic personal alarms:
Basic alarms work by letting someone in the same home know that assistance is required.
Basic alarms normally work by making a loud noise when the button is pressed. When the alarm is set off it is heard within the home and this helps people move around independently knowing someone can help if it is needed.
Basic alarms tend to go off until the alarm is acknowledged or reset or cancelled ( or the battery runs out.)
Community alarms:
Community alarms work slightly differently. These alarms connect older and more vulnerable people with an emergency response centre that is staffed 24 hours a day, every day. .
The user can manually call for assistance either via the integral button on the base unit or from a worn pendant with an alarm button.
Pendants work by sending a radio signal to the base unit that calls the alarm receiving centre, typically, via a connected phone line. The staff at the emergency response centre are trained to respond to anything from falls, accidents, to bogus callers
When they are contacted the operator speaks to the user, via the base unit, to identify the issues and then triages the requirements to respond effectively. They may decide whether to call one of an individual’s trusted contacts, call a local responder service or the emergency services.
There are lots of companies that offer these alarms . Providers may include your Local Authority, Housing Association, Social Services Department, charities and national private providers.
There are many different names for Community alarms used by service providers including
- Pendant Alarms
- Dispersed alarms
- Button and box
- Technology Enabled Care (TEC)
- Lifelines (originally a brand name, but now a generic term – like Hoover)
- Social Alarms (a reference the British Standard for Social Alarms)
Community alarms have a high degree of resilience and robustness as they are designed to be used for life critical alarms. For example, during a power failure they will continue to work as the have an integral battery backup. The pendants use a dedicated radio frequency that can’t be used by other non-alarm services.
Telecare
Telecare is another term that is used generically to describe community alarm services. Strictly speaking telecare refers to devices that can raise alarm calls automatically without the user needing to press an alarm button. Telecare devices work like pendants as they send a radio signal to the base unit to make an alarm call to the monitoring centre. Like pendants most of these devices are battery powered.
Even if the user is unable to speak with the alarm receiving centre operator during an alarm call the operator will know where the alarm call has come from, the type of alarm and will be able to organise a suitable response.
There are a large range of telecare devices that can be provided depending on a person’s needs. Telecare can detect environmental issues such as smoke and heat, Carbon Monoxide or natural gas or used for more personal care issues like bed exit, property exit or fall detection.
Mobile Alarms:
Mobile alarms enable people to raise a call for help when they are out of their home. In addition to the benefits of community alarms they support people to remain active and engage in their communities.
Mobile alarms usually consist of a single alarm button and when pressed the device sends an alarm signal using a mobile phone signal, this also sends location information. The devices work in a variety of different ways. Some will notify an app used by a family member when the button is pressed, others will also provide two way speech to the users device. Some will connect to alarm receiving centre in a similar way to community alarms with two way speech calls. They all provide location information to enable an appropriate response.
Other features bundled in mobile alarms may include geo fencing, an automatic alert when some leaves a safe area/ enters a high risk area, fall detection, step and some basic health data recording.
Types of Personal and Community Alarms – The pros and cons
Type of Alarm |
Pros |
Cons |
Basic Alarm |
|
|
Community Alarm |
|
|
Telecare devices |
|
|
Mobile alarms |
|
|
The table above demonstrates a variety of pros and cons for each type of community alarm. Most, apart from a basic alarm, rely on monthly or annual payments.
Basic alarms are good and practical if you need reassurance and that people are nearby to help. Basic alarms do not tend to offer contact centre support and if the persons needs are more complex that may be a necessity for you.
Community alarms, and mobile alarms often offer two-way conversation functionality with call-centres. This helps streamline the support an individual receives by allowing alarm-receiving centres to determine the issue more quickly and decide the most appropriate response. .
In order to decide what type of alarm is best for you, your family, or your local authority, you should consider individual needs and what benefits you would like to see from using an alarm.
How much do personal alarms cost?
In general the more functionality an alarm has the more expensive it tends to be, what is important it to identify what you, your family, or your local community needs from a community alarm.
Basic alarms tend to be more affordable and can be bought for around £10. The other types of alarms vary depending on the functionality they have and whether there are installation fees included or not.
The prices can also vary depending on whether community alarms are being paid for annually or monthly.
Some people are eligible for VAT relief on their community alarm service and this is often based around a disability. Please ask your provider if your are eligible. Alarms are sometimes subsidised by your local authority if meet certain requirements, for example:
- If you a physical or mental impairment that affects your ability to carry out everyday activities
- If you have a condition such as diabetes or arthritis that’s treated as chronic sickness
- You are terminally ill
So when looking for what the best community alarm is for you, it is best to check your eligibility with your local authority.
Moving to digital with personal and community alarm systems
The telephone system across the UK is being upgraded from traditional analogue landlines in the home to new digital connections. This has already started and is expected to be completed by 2025. This means that new base units for community alarms will use a new digital method of communicating both the alarm details and providing two way speech to digitally enabled alarm receiving centres. The new digital alarm hubs generally use a cellular connection using a SIM card (like a mobile phone) and do not require you to have an existing telephone/landline connection. Some models will also connect to an existing router in your home.
What to look for in a community alarm?
As already discussed community alarms can be available from a wide range of companies. Regardless of the type of equipment and level of the service you require, there are some key things to look for when you establish which alarm is best for your community:
- How easy is it to use?
- Is the look and feel acceptable?
- Is there an option for a local response service or will you rely on family and friends?
- Does it connect digitally?
- Is there a monthly fee?
- What is the range of the pendant? E.g. can it be used in the garden to raise an alarm call?
- Batteries – Does the alarm need charging or batteries replaced regularly?
- Who receives the alarm? Someone in the same home, an alarm receiving centre or maybe direct to a family member?
- Is the pendant waterproof? – can the user wear it in the bath or shower?
- Accessing the home in an emergency – how will help enter the home? Who holds a key? Will you need a keysafe? How much will that cost?
- False alarms – How easy is it to cancel a false alarm?
What is the best community alarm 2023?
If you are looking for something simple, effective, and easy to use basic alarms might be the answer. However, if the individual needing the community alarm has family who are not always available and is depending on others for support, then community alarms connected to a receiving centre might be a better option. A local service that can respond to an alarm call may also be a very valuable option.
At The Access TEC we go one step further than this. Alarm services are ideal when there is an emergency and the benefits include mitigating the consequences of a serious event. However, what if we could reduce the number of crisis events by being proactive, pre-emptive? What if we could move to a more preventative model of support and care? The outcomes to the user, their family, the local community, and the wider care and support system could be much larger improving the quality of life for thousands of people if the frequency of reactive, expensive, crisis driven events could be reduced.
At Access TEC our Assure service is providing a proactive and preventative model of support and care while retaining the safety net of a reactive alarm service.
The proactive service unobtrusively collects activity data in the users home. It enables family members to be positively reassured that a loved one is following a typical activity pattern and are ok and safe. Using machine learning, the service can also create personalised smart alerts.
It doesn’t use audio or video and does not require the user to wear anything. Alerts typically prompt a phone call to check all is OK. These alerts create timely opportunities to discuss early changes in activity and can flag opportunities to make changes to avoid future problem events.
Our Technology Enabled Care Service not only increases independence, it boosts confidence by reducing the frequency of emergency events and improving quality of life not only for the user, but also their family and wider community too.
Airtel Vodafone, one of our partners, has used our technology to play a part in the Government of Jersey’s new care model. They found the transition from basic alarm systems to digital telecare successful and found that 95% of self-funders happily chose to switch to this service.
Through our proactive and preventative technology we help ease the pressure of hospital discharge delays by offering a solution which allows more medically fit patients to be discharged back to their own homes to recover, as well as reduce the readmission rates too.
Our Assure Technology Enabled Care Service not only sustains independence, it boosts confidence by reducing the frequency of emergency events and improving quality of life not only for the user, but also their family and wider community too.
Airtel Vodafone, one of our partners, has used our technology to play a part in the Government of Jersey’s new care model. They found the transition from basic alarm systems to digital telecare successful and found that 95% of self-funders happily chose to switch to this service.
Through our proactive and preventative technology we help ease the pressure of hospital discharge delays by offering a solution which allows more medically fit patients to be discharged back to their own homes to recover, as well as reduce the readmission rates too.
Summarising the best community alarm systems 2023:
At The Access Group, we know how stressful and emotional it can be when a loved one starts to become less independent and families start to worry. It can be difficult to know what is best to do especially when they are still medical fit and are able to continue their do day-to-day activities.
We want to ensure that individuals and their families are aware of the options they have to be reassured their loved ones are doing well and following usual activity patterns.
We know that local authorities are struggling with limiting budgets, increased pressure from hospital discharge delays, and ensuring they are delivering their responsibilities under the Care Act.
In this article we wanted to ensure that local authorities, individuals, and their families, have access the all information they need about community alarms, to help them decide what type of alarm is best suited to their needs.
We have reviewed the pros and cons on a variety of types of community alarms and explained if care needs are more complex, then a more advance community alarm might be needed. Before selecting any alarm it is crucial to decide what you want the alarm for.
Our technology-enabled care offers a variety of functionality and types of hubs and wearable alarms that can best suit yours and your local community’s needs.
Discover our digital telecare and ask your provider to contact us today about our Assure service, where you can focus on increasing independence through proactive prevention based on insight, and gain positive reassurance with the safety net of a reactive emergency alarm.
Learn more about the availability of technology enabled care in your local area today.
