At Telecare Choice, our Telecare alarms give disabled and elderly people the opportunity to remain independent and secure in their own homes. However, many people have questions about what Telecare alarms can do for them. Keep reading to find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.
Who is a Telecare alarm for?
Telecare alarms are suitable for the elderly, vulnerable, and disabled, but a Telecare alarm can help anyone who needs a little more support at home. With its simple to use system and pendant, the alarm quickly gets help to the user. In the event of an emergency, such as a fall in the home or a sudden illness, the user simply presses their pendant. For extra peace of mind, you can also choose fall detection, which sends an automatic alert if it senses a fall. The discreet pendant button is worn around the neck or on the wrist.
Many users may live alone and wish to remain independent for as long as possible, secure in the knowledge that help is there if needed. For families of the elderly or vulnerable, a Telecare alarm can put their minds at rest when they are away from their relatives.
What is included in the Telecare package?
Our Annual and Monthly packages include rental of telecare equipment and 24/7 monitoring from our Monitoring Centre. The Telecare equipment consists of simple to set up base unit, a lightweight, water resistant pendant button, and a neck and wrist attachment.
You can also purchase additional items to complement your Telecare alarm system. We offer a number of key safes which allow a spare key to be easily accessed by family members and neighbours who know the code. If you purchase a key safe, or have one already, sharing the code with our Monitoring Team allows us to pass it on to the emergency services so they can access your home in an emergency. You can also order a smoke detector which links to your Telecare alarm unit and alerts our Monitoring Centre in the event of a fire.
What happens after a Telecare alarm is activated?
To activate the alarm, the user simply presses the red button on their pendant. Once activated, a member of our team at our monitoring centre will respond to your alert call. The team member will try to talk to the user using the loudspeaker on the base unit. After assessing the situation, they will go about contacting the appropriate help. This help is usually one of the user’s emergency contacts, such as a neighbour, friend, family member, or carer. If our team understand that this is a more urgent medical situation, we will contact the emergency services who we will inform of your medical history. We recommend that you have as many contacts as possible on our records, up to a maximum of 5. These contacts can also have multiple telephone numbers e.g. a work number, mobile, home landline etc.
How long will it take for an alarm to be set up?
Providing that the user’s details are completed online, we can have an alarm set up the day after it is ordered. The Telecare alarm is quick to get up and running and can be easily installed by the user themselves or a neighbour, friend, or family member if they wish. It is simply a case of connecting the alarm to the telephone socket and mains power. The alarm comes with full instructions, but if you need any help you can call us and we will guide you through the simple process over the phone. The final part of the installation process is to test that the alarm is working correctly by pressing the help button and connecting to the monitoring centre. We also recommend that once the alarm is installed you test your system at least once a month.
How can I refer a patient or client?
You can easily refer a patient or client using the online referrals form or by calling us on 0800 635 7000. We accept referrals from health professionals, social workers, and care providers. After receiving the form, we will contact the patient within 24 hours to have a conversation about how a Telecare package can help them and arrange their alarm.
Can I order an alarm for myself?
Absolutely. A referral is not a necessity. You can order your Telecare alarm by calling our customer services team on 0800 635 7000 or visiting our personal alarms page.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 2nd April 2024 to reflect current information.
