Do alarm pendants really work?

Alarm pendants are small button alarms that are worn around the neck, or on the wrist, and can be activated by the wearer in case of an emergency.

They work by connecting remotely to a box, which is fixed to the landline telephone. When you press the button, it will call for help, through the landline and somebody in a call centre will speak to the user via a speaker on the box. The box has a microphone, so the user can respond and the operator will then summon the appropriate help.

They are used by thousands of people every year and, having been around for over 30 years, they have proved to be a very valuable aid for older people living on their own, certainly the best solution available thus far.

Are alarm pendants still relevant?

If you have a fall and can’t get up, but remain conscious and able to press the button and you’re within range of the landline, then a pendant will certainly do its job well. Unfortunately, many incidents don’t happen that way and there are many variables which could prevent that call for help from being placed such as:

Being Out of Range

One common problem users experience is that they find themselves out of range of the landline. This may only be in the garden, or popping out to speak to a neighbour, but venturing just a few feet out of the home could potentially put you out of range. In this situation, the alert would not connect to the box and therefore no alarm would be registered. Many older people are still active enough to leave the home and get out and about, so of course a pendant wouldn’t be of use to them in those situations and that’s when they could potentially be most vulnerable.

This effectively means that if you rely on your pendant for help, then you are restricted to your home.

Falling and becoming unconscious

One of the dangers of falling is unconsciousness; either falling and becoming unconscious, or falling because you’ve passed out. In fact, you could just become unconscious while sitting in your chair, particularly if you suffer from diabetes or epilepsy. Clearly, in this situation – or indeed one where you were injured and unable to press the button – you would not be able to activate the alarm. The longer you remain unaided, the bigger the implications for your health. Medics term it as the ‘golden hour’; the optimum period for getting help to someone who’s had a fall. Every hour after this first hour can often equate to an additional week in hospital – that’s how imperative it is to get to people as quickly as possible following a fall or period of unconsciousness.

A pendant alarm cannot provide a solution for this.

Stigma of pendant alarms

Getting older is difficult for many, and not just in terms of our health. Nobody wants to feel old and frail and admitting that you need help, after living an active, independent life, can be hard for people to accept. For many, a pendant alarm worn openly around the neck is the ultimate symbol of old age and as much as people may recognise that they need some assistance, they just don’t want to wear one. You can get pendants that are designed to look like jewellery for this very reason. They can be great for some, but they do still look like pendants and obviously not so suitable for men.

The result of feeling this kind of ‘stigma’ around the pendant means that some will simply not wear one, even if they have been provided with one by their family or local authority. And, if you don’t wear it, you certainly can’t use it.

Pendant alarms and false alarms

Pendants have nice big buttons which are easy to press; exactly what you need when help is needed. Unfortunately, the flip side of this is that it’s all too easy to press it by accident by leaning on it, for example, or banging it against something. Once the button has been pressed, you can’t cancel it and therefore the call centre will be alerted. It’s not too much of an issue; you can simply explain what has happened and no action will be taken. Some people, however, don’t like the false alarms. They feel embarrassed, that they are being bothersome or just plain irritated by it and this could potentially lead to them not wanting to wear it.

What’s the alternative?

There are alternatives on the market which resolve some of these issues and there are different devices for different needs; fall detectors, GPS devices etc. New systems are entering the elderly care sector which can address several of these issues and one of them is MonitorGO; a single device built on a mobile phone which incorporates alarm raising, fall detection, unconsciousness alert, location finding and is fully mobile. You can even use it to make and receive phone calls. ([email protected], 01484 483160)

The most important thing you can do is to shop around: think about your personal circumstances and your lifestyle and think about what you would be most comfortable with. Growing older isn’t always easy and you have to make some important choices so arming yourself with information is key. You will nearly always be offered, or recommended, a pendant alarm, because that’s the most common solution (and the cheapest), but it may not be right for you so make sure you know what’s available to you and understand both the benefits and the limitations.