A Guide to Community Alarm and Telecare Equipment

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1 Telecare in North West Surrey Contact Information If you would like further advice or information on any of the products mentioned in this brochure please contact your local North West Surrey Borough Council on the following numbers: Telecare in North West Surrey Runnymede Borough Council Spelthorne Borough Council Woking Borough Council A Guide to Community Alarm and Telecare Equipment

2 About the Brochure This brochure has been designed to illustrate the range of equipment and sensors that are available from the three North West Surrey Boroughs and to give an indication of where it might be appropriate to use them. Before a formal referral is made it is recommended that is should be discussed with the relevant Borough service to ensure that the best solution has been arrived at. Who are we? Whilst Community Alarms and Telecare is provided across Surrey by Borough and District Councils, the information in this booklet specifically refers to the equipment that is available in areas where services are provided by the following Borough Councils: Runnymede Borough Council Spelthorne Borough Council Woking Borough Council The primary aim of the three providers is to promote and install Telecare Services throughout the area to: Help people with care needs to continue to live safely in the community and improve their quality of life Help people living at home to manage their own health conditions Assist health and care staff to provide quality care in the community in a cost-effective way Future Aims The three Borough Councils are committed to working towards ensuring that access to and the cost of Telecare equipment is the same across each partner Borough. Other Supporting Equipment Key Storage Boxes Each Borough Council installs or arrange installation of key storage boxes to promote ease of access for emergency contacts or the emergency services in responding to alerts raised either by the client using their Community Alarm or by the alerts generated by a specific piece of Telecare Equipment. Key storage boxes also provide easy access in the event of routine visits by carers etc where access to the property can be a problem. About Key Storage Boxes Key Storage Boxes are heavy-duty boxes designed to securely hold an entrance key outside the home. The box can be programmed mechanically with an access code, which the client can set. The code is known only to the client and to the monitoring centre who are able to pass this information on to a third party when access would otherwise be difficult. Other Information Requires permanent, secure fixing to an outside wall Easy to program and use Ensures authorized access only When a Key Storage Boxes Should be Obtained: When clients find it difficult to answer the door Where clients have mobility problems

3 Internal Carer Alert Systems (installed by all partner Borough Councils) Internal Carer Alert Systems are systems that can receive Telecare alerts immediately following activation and are able to display not only the type of sensor activated but also either the location of the sensor or the name of the person the sensor has been assigned to. This means that onsite Carers and relatives in some instances, can be quickly made aware of any incidents allowing them to provide a high level of care whilst being able to undertake other aspects of their work or other activities within the home or garden. Carer Alert Systems have a typical range of up to 200 meters. Carer Alert Systems can be used without being connected to a monitoring centre, or can be switched between alerting a Carer etc and calling through to a monitoring centre. Where a Carer Alert System Should Be Used Residences providing specialist dementia care Residences providing intermediate care Residences for people with learning disabilities Residential homes, care homes and respite care facilities What is Telecare? Telecare uses a combination of a Community Alarm and sensors to monitor the health, safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people in their homes. Telecare is available to vulnerable people of all ages, it can be used to support people with physical disabilities and in the management of people with long term health conditions. Telecare is not intended to replace human contact but is designed to support both formal and informal Carers as well as the client. How Does it Work? The client is firstly provided with a Community Alarm and a pendant. The unit allows the client to automatically make a call by pushing the button on their pendant which will make a connection to the alarm unit via a wireless signal. A call can also be made by pressing the button on the alarm unit. When the pendant is pressed a connection is made with the monitoring centre who will be able to attempt to make contact with the client and take any necessary actions depending on the situation. The monitoring centres operate twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Following the installation of the alarm unit, a range of sensors can be linked to it. These sensors are able to detect environmental emergencies. What is the Eligibility Criteria? Surrey Telecare Website A website has been set up to provide further information on Community Alarm and Telecare services available in Surrey. The website also offers the opportunity to read real case studies of people already benefiting from these services in supporting both their well being and their personal safety. To access the Surrey Telecare website please go to: Any person, regardless of age, who considers themselves, or by others to be vulnerable in their own home are eligible to access the Community Alarm and Telecare services available. Examples of people who may be considered vulnerable include: Older People People with Physical Disabilities People discharged from hospital People who have had a fall or who are considered at high risk from falling People living in their own homes who require additional peace of mind

4 Who Pays for the Community Alarm and Telecare? The charge for the Community Alarm and Telecare equipment is paid by the client or someone on their behalf. However, a 12 week free of charge trial period is available for people upon discharge from hospital (known as the CAT scheme - for more information see page 7). For more information on the cost of the Community Alarm and additional Telecare please contact your local Borough Council on the number at the back of this brochure. What Equipment is Available? A range of Telecare equipment and other equipment items are available for installation in people s homes and are installed by the three Borough Councils. The Telecare and other supporting equipment that is installed by all Borough Councils are: Community Alarm Smoke Detectors Falls Detectors Pill Dispensers Bed/Chair Sensors Internal Carer Alert Systems Key Storage Boxes Other Telecare equipment and services are available and may be installed following an assessment of the clients needs and the suitability of the equipment. These items include: Bogus Caller Alerts Door Sensors Proactive Calling Flood Detectors Carbon Monoxide Detectors Temperature Extremes Detectors Heat Detectors If you would like information on any of the Telecare equipment listed above or if you would like to discuss individual needs or requirements please contact your local Borough Council on the number at the back of this brochure. Bed Occupancy Sensor (installed by all partner Borough Councils) The bed occupancy sensor can be used in conjunction with a Fall Detector. It will alert the monitoring centre if a client has got out of bed and not returned within a specified time. It can also be used to identify when the client has not gone to bed by a pre-determined time and again this will alert the monitoring centre for them to take appropriate action. Other Information about Bed Occupancy Sensors: Consists of a pressure pad, which is placed under the mattress, and a control unit Battery operated programmable internal timer Detects when someone has left their bed Detects when someone has returned or not returned to bed Can be set to turn on a light to help prevent falls Links to monitoring centre via a Community Alarm When a bed occupancy sensor should be applied: Where the client is liable to night time wandering Where the client is liable to falls at night Best suited to those with live-in Carers or contacts close by due to possible need to attend multiple alerts per night Chair Occupancy Sensor Sensors are also available for use on chairs which provide support and reassurance throughout the daytime and evening until the client goes to bed. Chair sensors can be used in the same way and will provide alerts in circumstances where either the client has left the chair that they normally sit in and not returned to within a pre-determined time frame or where the seat has remained occupied meaning that the client has not taken themselves to bed etc. For more information on either sensor please contact your local Borough Council.

5 Pill Dispensers (installed by all partner Borough Councils) A pill dispenser makes managing medication simple and reduces the risk of error in the number of pills taken, frequency taken etc. The pill dispenser will give access to the pre determined number of pills within a set time frame and will alert the user if they have not done so. If the client does not respond to the dispenser and take their medication a call is automatically sent to the monitoring centre within the hour, enabling appropriate action to be taken. Other information About Pill Dispensers Pill dispensers are wireless and can be moved around the home as required by the client Pill dispensers are also able to be taken out of the home but in such circumstances will only notify the person and not the monitoring centre Pill Dispensers give an automated low battery warning Pill Dispensers contains a 28 dose carousel Community Alarm (installed by all partner Borough Councils) The Community Alarm is the hub of any Telecare installation. It is designed to protect people living in their own homes either short or long term. It can be used in the home to provide help and re-assurance from the monitoring centre Other Telecare sensors can be linked to it to alert the monitoring centre of a specific problem. Other information about the Community Alarm: Requires connection to 13amp electric socket and a working telephone line Is supplied with a personal radio trigger which will operate the unit from anywhere in the home or garden An alarm call is raised to the monitoring centre by pressing the red button on either the unit or radio trigger Provides speech contact between the service user and monitoring centre The monitoring centre is able to identify the address of where the call has been raised, even without speech contact Has internal battery back up and will function for 24 hours in the event of a power cut Information about the Radio Trigger: Suitability Unsuitable for people who are unable to refill the medication tray themselves or who have no one to do this for them When a Pill Dispenser Should Be Applied Where the client suffers with any kind of memory loss/cognitive impairment Where the client has complex medication Is lightweight and easy to use Is worn on the body either as a wrist strap or on a cord around the neck Operates the alarm unit from within the house or garden by pressing red button Has a range of between 75 and 100 meters depending on building construction, other obstructions and equipment model used. Other Information: The Community Alarm will not operate if the telephone line is out of order When a Community Alarm should be applied: In all situations to provide safety and security When other sensors are to be used To give support following hospital discharge

6 Smoke Detectors The wireless smoke detector is designed to protect anyone who is at risk in their home and provides additional piece of mind both to client and their families. Upon activation the smoke detector transmits an alarm call via the Community Alarm to the monitoring centre where appropriate and immediate actions can be taken. Other Information about Smoke Detectors Lithium battery lasts for up to five years Wireless technology means minimal disruption to home upon installation Detector can be relocated to new position within the home if required Gives an automatic low battery warning When a smoke detector should be applied Where the client is vulnerable and at risk living in their own home Other Detectors Available (installed at the discretion of individual partner Borough Councils) A range of other Telecare detectors are available to support clients living in their own home and who are considered vulnerable, at risk or apprehensive about living at home. Not all Councils install all of the detectors listed below. Therefore, if you would like to receive more information about the availability of and the benefits of the detectors listed below please contact your local Borough Council to discuss further. Flood Detector Carbon Monoxide Detector Natural Gas Detector Heat Detector Temperature Extremes Detector Falls Detectors (installed by all partner Borough Councils) Falls Detectors are designed to do exactly what the name suggests - detect falls. If a fall is detected the device will automatically make a call to the monitoring centre without the need for the client to press their Radio Trigger button. A Falls Detector can be used in conjunction with a bed occupancy sensor for night time monitoring. Other Information About Falls Detectors Falls Detectors are battery operated It can be worn on the body, on a belt or on clothing It detects falls by tilt or impact Can also be activated by pressing the button on the front of the Fall Detector Links to monitoring centre via a Community Alarm Suitability Unsuitable for people with cognitive impairment unless 24 hour care is available Cannot be worn in bed Needs to be in upright position to reduce false activation When a Falls Detector Should Be Applied Where the service user is likely to fall and is unable to press the button on the radio trigger or unit. Surrey CAT Scheme Set up in 2006 with support from Surrey County Council, the CAT scheme was established to assist residents over the age of 18 following discharge from hospital. The CAT scheme is operated by Borough and District service providers, providing a community alarm and pendant free for 12 weeks following discharge from hospital with the intention of helping people to maintain their independence once they have returned home. At the end of the free 12 week period, there is the option of returning the Community Alarm or keeping it, paying the weekly rental charge from that point onwards.