ALMOST 70 per cent of people injured through accidental falls are over the age of 64, and in the UK alone 1,500 older people die in this way each year.
As we age there are basic alterations we can make to our homes to keep ourselves upright and out of obvious danger, such as putting handrails on the stairs, the bath and to the sides of toilets, installing walk-in/sit-down showers, non slip mats and carpets, and placing low watt night lights on stairs and in hallways.
But a new personal alert system now available in Cyprus makes it easier than ever for the elderly to hold on to their independence and keep control of their lives.
Manufactured by Chubb, In Touch 24 is a necklace alarm that is linked to a landline and from there to a 24 hour response centre which will alert friends, relatives and medical services that someone needs help. The system has been approved by the British NHS and is distributed by the British Care Trust.
The standard system is easy to install. All you require is a landline phone socket in which you plug the base unit and attach the slim wrist bracelet/or necklace.
You will have been asked to fill in a form giving personal details, and data on relatives, friends, neighbours and your key holders, along with doctors’ information and preferred ambulance service. All this information is fed into the company’s 24 hour UK-based response centre.
Whenever the panic button on your wrist or neck is hit the centre contacts you via the phone line to find out what the problem is (this can be done up to 100 m distant from the unit depending upon the building density) so, if you take a tumble in the garden the system can still operate successfully. If there is no audible response then the centre starts contacting people on your list starting with your neighbour and/or key holder. As the centre is manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, there will always be an operator on hand who has instant access to your details if and when a home emergency occurs.
The response centre is based in the UK to ensure residents here can receive consistently guaranteed service via Telecare Service Association (TSA) plus the British Standard Approved Service.
During the night 74-year-old widow Jean Davidson fell 20 feet down the marble staircase of her Paphos home and was knocked unconscious.
“When I came round the pain in my leg was excruciating, I knew I had broken my hip,” she said. “I then had to drag myself into the living room where I phoned a neighbour.” Jean was fortunate she could at least crawl to summon help, but her doctor did state that even this action may have caused some complications.
Jolyon Edwards, 84, was living alone when he tumbled down some stone steps in his Larnaca villa. He was so severely concussed that he lay there for two whole days until a neighbour worried as why he hadn’t been seen came round, found him bleeding with injuries to his head, arms and legs. He recovered in hospital but medical staff agreed that he would certainly have died alone at home of his injuries if he hadn’t been found in time.
In Touch 24 also come with a Standard Plus system for those prone to blackouts or loss of consciousness, this includes a ‘fall’ detector. The advanced package offers all the features of the standard unit but also includes an intruder service. This uses passive infra red technology so when you go to bed or if you leave your home, the unit is then set to ‘away’ mode which will detect any intruder in your home.
The technology now on offer to vulnerable residents is never going to be a substitute for care but it’s all about using today’s technical wizardry purely as an alert and support tool. With this new piece of unobtrusive technology, they can now add safety and a real sense of security to their quality of life package.
For more information contact
In Touch 24 Personal Alert System
Telephone 00357 26 022 608
E mail [email protected]
www.intouch24.co.uk
Cyprus Mail readers will receive 10 per cent off the equipment fee.
