It is an unfortunate fact that as we get older we become more prone to slips, trips and falls within the home and garden. Even a minor fall can have lasting consequences for an elderly person, such as diminished confidence. A serious fall can compromise someone's independence or even lead to them having to leave their home and make the decision to go into residential care. There are many different causes of falls, including mobility and balance problems, vision difficulties and dizziness.
Falls at night can be particularly troubling because even if the older person is receiving regular visits from a carer, it may be several hours before anyone realises that the person has fallen and cannot get up. If no visitors are expected, an elderly person may be lying for a long period, unable to help themselves. Many older people feel the need to use the lavatory during the night. Poor lighting in the house, badly fitting slippers, loose carpets or dizziness on getting out of bed can all make a fall more likely. Alternatively, someone may go out into the garden or outside area during the evening, perhaps to put rubbish out or call in a pet. If they fall, they may be outside in the cold and dark, unable to make themselves heard. Is a panic alarm for the elderly a sensible precaution?
First, it is important to reduce the risk of a fall by assessing the home for hazards - the local fire service can offer a free home safety visit in which they will assess all the possible risks and recommend safeguards. Once this has been done and you have reduced the risks as far as you can, you need to make sure that if you, or your loved one, does have a fall, it is possible to summon help at any time of the day or night without having to get to the phone.
With an Aster panic alarm for the elderly, using a pendant or telecare system, help is available from our Hampshire care lines as soon as you press the panic button. For an even higher level of protection, Aster fall detectors and activity sensors can be used for constant monitoring to make sure that someone is not immobile for a long period. Our care lines will be called automatically by the equipment once it detects that the customer hasn’t moved for some time or has fallen.
If you live alone, it may not be convenient for you to have a keyholder. Unlike other providers, Aster does not insist on this and will contact emergency services on your behalf if the panic alarm or button is activated and they are unable to get a response from you. If you have a key safe system, Aster will securely store the combination number for you and pass it to the emergency services when necessary.