The key to maintaining independence

The principle is the same across lesser as well as major accidents and emergencies. A fall for example, where someone is alone and unable to summon help, can, over time, in addition to the initial trauma, lead to dehydration, shock, infection, hypothermia, and loss of consciousness – to say nothing of the psychological distress and loss of confidence that such an episode can cause.

Getting immediate help, however, can mean that the stroke victim is left with few symptoms, the heart attack patient can be treated and resume their normal life, and the person who has had a fall can get picked up, treated appropriately and returned to independent living.

Family members and friends frequently see danger and the potential for mishap before the person themselves. Older people have a tendency to brush aside the concerns of loved ones, missing the anxiety that those nearest to them may be feeling. This almost deliberate failure to engage or alleviate the families’ pervading anxiety can cause great hurt and frustration. When help is accepted, however, the relief for friends and family is palpable, an act of kindness on the part of the accepting relative!

Very early in the life of my alarm company, an installer told of an installation he had done in stony silence because the alarm recipient had very unwillingly agreed to wear the device for which his son was paying. But the installer made him promise to wear the alarm for his son’s sake if not his own. We didn’t get any answer from a routine care call shortly afterwards, and we later found out that within days of our visit, the gentleman had had a medical emergency and because he had been able to get urgent treatment his life had been saved – we had a lovely letter of thanks from him and his son.

We have many country lanes in the UK where the likelihood of a passer-by coming to someone’s aid is non-existent. Add in other factors such as a cold winter and poor light, then dangers become much more obvious. One cold January afternoon one of our alarm wearers had a fall in the lane just outside her cottage and fractured her hip, she was unable to move; hypothermia would soon have had life threatening consequences for her, but because even from outside her house she was able to press her alarm button and get help, she was soon back at home with a new hip, independent and safe.

Alarms give people confidence to live independently at home. Once talking to the response service becomes a familiar occurrence, it is a lot easier to press the alarm and speak to a friendly operator. Perhaps just to say, ‘I don’t feel like getting out of bed today’, if a family member is alerted to such a change in condition, a far more serious medical occurrence can be avoided. Operators are alert to changes in condition, voice quality, perhaps confusion, and will always respond appropriately to mobilise the help that can restore independence.