Yours Australia — Issue 97 2017

46

TEXT: JOSEPH NE AGOST NO P CTURES: GETTY MAGESINDEPENDENT LIVING CENTRES, 1300 885 886 OR ILCAUSTRALIA.ORG.AU

GOOD TOKNOW

✚Monitored personal

alarm system

A monitored alarm is a little like

a mobile phone with its own SIM card

and monthly fee. If you activate your

wearable transmitter (such as a pendant

worn around the neck or wrist), the

home-base unit phones a call centre –

some of which are manned by first-aid

certified operators. When an operator

picks up, you can have a conversation

through the speaker and microphone

in the home-base and they’ll assess

whether to call an ambulance or your

nominated contacts.

“There are cases where the two-way

communication doesn’t work if the person

has fallen too far from the base unit

to hear the operator,” Keith says.

“That will cause the operator to put

a non-contact emergency protocol

into action that’s been pre-planned

with the client.”

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ivingathomeissomethingwealltakeforgranted,untiltheeventof

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placewhilerecoveringfromanillnessorcopingwithanongoingcondition

–orevenforcarerswhoneedahelpinghand–isapersonalmedicalalarm.

“Someincidents,suchasafallorfracturewithinternalbleeding,cancause

hugedamageifnottendedtowithinminutes,”saysKeithLai,occupational

therapistwithIndependentLivingCentres,whichoffersafreeservicethat

helpspeoplechooseadevice.

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Joshua

Simmons

Personal medical

alarm adviser

Keith Lai

Occupational

therapist

There’s an option to choose a system

that goes straight to the ambulance

service but Keith warns to check that

you have ambulance insurance cover

first to avoid expensive call-out costs.

It’s also vital to find out in advance

if a monitored system will be suitable

for your home.

“Check with the company if there are

black spots or coverage limitations in

your area, and how National Broadband

Network upgrades will apply to your

home,” says Joshua Simmons of medical

personal alarm provider VitalCall.

“A home’s construction and the type

of dwelling can affect function as well.”

For instance, if you live in a large

apartment block or a house on acreage

the GPS-enabled system might not be

able to pinpoint an exact location, even

with the coordinates it supplies.

“A monitored system also needs to

have a trained technician install it, so

the provider should advise whether your

area is covered by them,” Keith adds.

✚ Non-monitored

personal alarm system

Also known as an “auto-dialler” or “phone

a friend” system, a non-monitored

alarm is programmed with numbers of

designated friends or family. Activating

the wearable device automatically calls

the first person on the list, and if they

don’t answer, the next person on the list

is contacted until someone’s reached.

“If they do pick up, it then plays

a pre-recorded message that has all the

information of the user for what action

to take,” Keith explains. “For this to

work, you need a good social support

network of people who can act in those

situations. We advise it’s best not to

choose someone who cannot answer

their phone at work, for example.”

Some non-monitored alarms only

accept one contact, so look for systems

with multiple contacts to increase your

chances of getting help.

JUST

A medical alarm can ease worry and save lives