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Personal Alarms?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Health & Wellbeing
Hey guys!

So as many of you know - my dad has an illness which is called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. In English this means that he has a lung disease which creates scar tissue on the lungs for no reason. He struggles with his breathing and the disease cannot be cured - he needs a lung transplant.

Recently he is getting much much worse which means he gets out of breath far too easily, he goes dizzy a lot and he also brings up a lot of phlegm. He lives on his own and I live with my mum. I've always lived with my mum. My parents are still together but for other reasons I won't go into - they live separately. I am his carer but I don't want to move in with him because my home is with my mum, also if I lived with my dad we would argue quite a fair big because our personalities often clash and it'd be far too complicated.

Anyway, me and my mum have been talking and we're thinking of getting dad a personal alarm to make him feel much more at ease when he's at home because we think he panics a bit with living on his own. We think it'd be beneficial for him because it'd make it easier for him to live alone. He lives in a bungalow which makes it better for him - he doesn't have to climb stairs.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me:
  1. What exactly they are
  2. What they do
  3. How they work
  4. Where the cheapest place to buy one is
Also if anyone can suggest anything else which can help my dad with his health and living alone that'd be of great help!

Thanks guys.

Charlee :wave:*hug*

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    HannHann Posts: 3,434 Boards Guru
    Hey Charlee

    My nana got one of these just before she passed since she was constantly falling over.
    I just had to look it up because I was double checking to see what they were and was looking at this page on age uk - http://www.ageuk.org.uk/products/mob...rsonal-alarms/

    The person who has this alarm will have a button on a necklace or wristband to connect to the emergency response centre, they press it and it goes straight to them and they get a signal. Now I'm a bit confused about this part but they call you, or you call them, but I don't know whether this is by phone or what. Anyway, outside your Dad's bungalow will be a key holder/key safe, which will have a lock and pin on it that only your Dad and whoever he wants to know it, will know it, you put this pin in and it unlocks the safe and there's a spare key to the front door so that the emergency response people can get in.

    Now my nana never got to use hers so I don't know how this plans out, however I do know a couple of people who have these and they are really good and a good use of money. On the website above it says it is £69 plus £13.80 VAT. I just asked my mum and she said that my nana got it through the social workers and that the emergency response people had a special pin for the lock and the carers had a separate pin for the lock, so I don't know how it will be with your Dad. Apparently you only pay it weekly/monthly and that's all your dad will pay for.

    Hope this made sense and is useful!
    Hann
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hannisnotonfire wrote: »
    Anyway, outside your Dad's bungalow will be a key holder/key safe, which will have a lock and pin on it that only your Dad and whoever he wants to know it, will know it, you put this pin in and it unlocks the safe and there's a spare key to the front door so that the emergency response people can get in.

    Thanks so much Hann that's great! I love the idea of the key thingy although I'd still be a bit worried about that... Thanks for the advice and it's great to know Age UK do one :D
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    HannHann Posts: 3,434 Boards Guru
    Charlee wrote: »

    Thanks so much Hann that's great! I love the idea of the key thingy although I'd still be a bit worried about that... Thanks for the advice and it's great to know Age UK do one :D

    You're welcome :) It is a good idea, my mum used to use that key to get into the house because it was her key in the first place.
    If anyone else has heard of this and has had experience I'm sure Charlee would appreciate it.
    You're welcome :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ah sounds brilliant Hann! And yes yes! I'd love to hear other people's experiences with personal alarms and also we're looking to find the cheapest option :) so if anyone knows any which are cheaper than Age UK then please feel free to tell me:)


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have a key safe and they're perfectly safe! personal alarms are best either when you can go through the local social services (they often call it telecare) or a set up a private aarrangement so someone can actually get there if needed and no one else can (although not all systems will send someone else out if there aren't 2 people they can put on a list who are within 5 miles). If you're dad has got and uses a mobile it would be a better a cheaper option to just get him to hang on to that as much as possible because these systems aren't as good as a phone is.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi Miss_Riot! He does have a mobile but the problem is, he gets no service sometimes in his area depending on where he is in the house. We've tried to resolve this through the network but no luck:/ so we are thinking this is the best option we have. Plus he sometimes forgets his phone at ours and if he did that then got into trouble over night he'd be fucked with no way to contact us!
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    plugitinplugitin Posts: 2,197 Boards Champion
    One of my grandads had the keysafe, the other had both the emergency alarm thing and the keysafe. They are both really good things, especially if there can't be people around 24/7. The emergency alarm thing was around his neck and connected to the council's care department so if it was ever pressed, they would then call his house phone back and he would have to pick up and say what the issue was, or if he didn't pick up they would despatch someone to check on him. The keysafe just allows there to be one set of keys for the house rather than loads of say different care workers having a copy or passing them around making it safer in terms of home security.
    If you did want to get one of the personal alarms, contacting social services might be a good way?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That sounds great thanks! I think my grandma is looking for one too now lol
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They're best organised through your local career arrangements - usually the council. Are you a registered carer? You can do through your GP. If you get that, then you get easier access to this sort of information.

    Even if not, your GP notice board is probably worth checking out - often have good info on this and similar topics with a local slant.
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