SOS necklaces or fobs

[CAMRAMan]

My mother is getting increasingly unstable on her feet. She's already had a couple of falls. In case she falls when nobody's around, does anyone have any recommendations of any remote emergency call devices she could wear?

[Wowbagger]

I would suggest an Iphone - if she is capable of using one. My aunt had one and controlled its outgoing calls by voice/siri. She was blind and 97 when she started using it, quite successfully.

[CAMRAMan]

Thanks She is an utter, utter technophobe and would not use one, sadly. The solution would need to be a one-button job, if such a thing exists

[chrisbainbridge]

A colleague has got a google device for her mother who has had stroke

[hatler]

My mum is fitted with one of Lifeline24's products. One button on a bracelet. They were very good indeed in the setup process.

[PaulF]

My father has something but I’m not sure of the make. As well as a button it also has fall detection; if he falls and doesn’t move for a certain amount of time the alert is triggered.

[Tim Hall]

Dad had a pendant thing which talked to a careline operator company who would then phone me, neighbours or emergency services required.

A spot of googling suggests this was a subscription based service, current prices look like £4.60 per week.

[wajcgac]

https://www.telecare24.co.uk/

These people have various plans to choose from. My wife has used them in the past for her father and is now in the process of signing up again for her mother.

The hardest part we found was getting the person that the pendant is intended for to actually wear it.

[robgul]

The old lady that used to live, alone, across the road from us had a pendant that linked to the landline phone (as referred to above) - we and another neighbour were on the service provider's database (as was her daughter who lived 100 miles away) - we got called out a couple of times, once requiring an ambulance to be called.

Seemed an excellent idea - but no idea of costs.   Sadly she finally went into a home after about 2 years of having the pendant and died about 18 months ago.

Rob

[PaulF]

My father has something but I’m not sure of the make. As well as a button it also has fall detection; if he falls and doesn’t move for a certain amount of time the alert is triggered.

Remembered in the middle of the night!

He uses https://argenti.co.uk/product/lifeline-and-falls-detector-package/ which I think was recommended by one of the care agencies. Service from them has seemed fine; when I did a test by dropping it they rang pretty immediately, after allowing for the lag to allow the user to cancel a false alarm.

[Nutbeem]

Take a look at the relevant page on the Age UK Website, they have full details of Personal Alarms and associated costs.
If you decide to go ahead they can usually set up everything within a couple of days.

Might also be worth considering a keysafe, that way if someone needs to get in quickly in an emergency it can avoid delays or doors needing to be forced.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/products/mobility-and-independence-at-home/personal-alarms/

[CAMRAMan]

Thanks everyone, plenty of options to consider. A phone won't be one of them though. The sight of one would trigger immediate & illogical technophobia and a total unwillingness to consider using it. Or, better put, she would say she would use it to us just to keep us quiet, then immediately put it away somewhere to gather dust like the other 'simple' phones we've given her before once we'd left. Of course, there's no guarantee she'd use a pendant/fob, but we have to try something after her recent falls.

[Nutbeem]

At the risk of stating the obvious it's also worth considering things you can do to reduce the risk of a fall.

1st of these, in my book, is well fitting footwear that is in good repair. For indoor use Cosyfeet slippers are a good choice, not cheap but they have a good mail order service and you can claim VAT exemption if buying on medical grounds.

https://www.cosyfeet.com/womens-extra-wide-footwear/cosyfeet-slippers

Other possible actions are; having, and using, walking aids, removal of trip hazards, rugs, raised thresholds etc. ensuring the environment is not cluttered.

[CAMRAMan]

The main problem is my mother's stubborness and unwillingness/inability to come to terms with her reduced mobility since she broke her hip last July. She really should be using a walking frame all the time, indoors and outdoors, but insists she only needs one stick when out and about. This is a pride thing for her and hard to overcome, sadly. I'm trying to get hold of a folding walking frame so she has the option to use it when going out. I suspect it will be money better spent, but I'll get one anyway.

Thanks for the slippers link. The house itself is quite well set up for her. The LA came in and sorted that out for my father when he was getting more and more immobile as his dementia bit harder. There are handles in most strategic places. The major obstacle is the garage. This has three concrete steps and did for my grandmother too. There are handles on the wall to steady her, but there isn't anywhere else to put the freezer, as the kitchen is tiny.

[andrewc]

Sounds familiar.  My father has fallen twice in the last year & is still wobbling around on a single stick, refusing to use the walking frame we got for him.    The council have installed an extra rail on the stairs for him, which is helpful, and grab handles near the doors. 

[chrisbainbridge]

Whilst old age is old age, weight training and tai chi or similar will all help. Often available for free with a doctors letter.