Telecare

Carer alert unit

If you live alone, care for a loved one or worry about a someone living alone, Telecare can help people with all types of health and social care needs, whatever of their age.

With telecare, people can live at home safely, knowing there is a safety net if things go wrong.

What is telecare?

Telecare is small pieces of equipment which can tell if you fall or if there is a problem in your home. Sensors alert either Care on Call (mobile warden service) or a carer who is near-by. It tells them you may need help.

All you need is a standard telephone socket with an electrical socket nearby.

Read our examples

Mr Jones is 50 years old, living alone. He has a history of blackouts. After one blackout, it took a few hours to find him. He was admitted to hospital where a social worker suggested he tried a falls pendant.

Mr Jones has continued to have blackouts but his pendant has alerted the Care on Call wardens immediately and they have been able to respond to his needs quickly.

Mr Jones now feels less worried about his blackouts and is more confident knowing that help is at hand in the form of Care on Call.

Mrs Ahmed is an 87 year old lady, who has dementia. She cannot get out of bed by herself and fell and hurt herself. She lives with her husband, who is relatively fit but is hard of hearing. He wears his hearing aids in bed, to listen for his wife trying to get up. This interrupts his sleep and leaves him exhausted.

District nurses suggested Mr and Mrs Ahmed use a bed sensor. This alerts Mr Ahmed when his wife tries to get up, by switching on the bedroom light.

He doesn’t need to sleep with his hearing aids anymore and he says he has had “the best nights sleep in as long as I can remember.”

How does it work?

Your telecare equipment must be linked to an ‘alert unit’. This can be in your home, to alert a carer, or if you live alone or your carer is often out, it can be linked to Care on Call mobile warden service, through your telephone line.

When a sensor goes off, the alert unit makes a loud noise and flashes, so that your carer or Care on Call can quickly identify the problem.

Care on Call can respond in different ways - they will speak to you through the alert unit to see if you are ok or if you need help. If the warden cannot get a response from you they will follow your wishes and either:

Visit you at home.
Contact a friend, neighbour or relative to visit you.
Contact the emergency services.

How much does it cost?

Telecare equipment and the carer alert unit is a free loan.
Connecting the service to Care on Call’s 24 hour monitoring and emergency service costs £4.82 a week - that’s under 70p a day.
If you get housing benefit or council tax benefit there is no charge.

How can I get Telecare?

Before you get any equipment, we'll need to assess your situation to find out if the equipment will be able to help you. District nurses, occupational therapists or social care staff can do the assessment.