Telecare - Print version

The Telecare service is a more advanced type of community alarm, with a wide range of devices to support you in your own home. It aims to provide reassurance 24 hours a day to those living on their own or caring for vulnerable people.

Who could benefit from the service?

Telecare may be able to help you if you are:

• Worried about falling
• Recently discharged from hospital and requiring additional support and assistance at home
• Living alone
• Caring for someone that needs extra help
• Living with disabilities
• Living with a long term health condition, for example, dementia

Telecare can detect events such as:

• Serious falls
• Leaving the house and not returning
• Fire and smoke
• Flood
• Carbon Monoxide leaks

How Telecare works

Telecare works through a range of sensors that are installed according to your needs following an assessment. 

If one of the sensors is automatically activated or if you press your personal alarm trigger, the alarm connected to your phone will ring our Control Centre. The response centre staff will have information about the person using the service; will be able to identify which sensor has been activated and how best to respond.

When an alert is raised, a signal is sent which automatically dials the control centre, letting trained operators assess the situation, check your safety and take the appropriate action which could include calling a family member or friend or calling the emergency services.

Some Telecare sensors can just raise an alarm in your home without calling the contact centre, which can be suitable if you have a carer living with you or if you are a carer looking after someone. It means, for example, that a carer can go out into the garden and relax knowing they will be alerted if the person they look after gets out of bed or tries to leave the house.

Don’t worry if you press your alarm or set off a sensor by mistake, we would rather know that you’re okay and check everything is working correctly.

What do I need in order for Telecare to work?

For the Telecare system to work in your own home, you will need the following:

• an electrical socket 
• two responders who live locally (within 30 minutes travelling time) who are willing to respond in an emergency. (If you do not have anyone locally who can act as a key holder/emergency responder please let us know and we can discuss access to our responder service)

Telecare equipment

Equipment

Description The Lifeline unit and personal trigger and if required a smoke detector alarm, constitute the basic package of telecare. Additional items are provided based on assessment.	Picture
Digital Lifeline Unit Users can call for help by pressing the large button on the Lifeline home unit, or by pressing the red button on their pendant anywhere in the home. The Lifeline home unit will also automatically contact the monitoring centre when it receives an alert signal from any telecare sensor installed. No telephone line is required.
Personal Trigger Worn around the neck, on the wrist or attached to an item of clothing, personal triggers enable a call for help to be raised anywhere in the home or garden.
Smoke detector The smoke detector will raise an alarm at the monitoring centre if it detects smoke allowing appropriate action to be taken.
Bed/chair occupancy sensor The bed/chair occupancy sensor provides protection for those who leave their bed/chair and fail to return within a specified time period by raising an alarm. It can also minimise the risk of falling by automatically turning on lights.
Property exit sensor Provides an early warning that the user has left their home and not returned within a predetermined time parameter.
Vibby Falls Detector  Vibby is a wearable fall detection device, used by individuals to support independent living. It detects hard falls and raises an automatic alert, plus allows users to manually call for help. it can be worn on the wrist or round the neck.
Movement detector This wireless PIR (Passive Infra-Red) detects movement and raises an alert, providing the 24 hour monitoring centre with the ability to audibly verify and record the presence of an intruder or alternatively detect for long periods of inactivity.
Bogus caller button Fitted near a door, this discreet button can be used to call for assistance from the 24 hour monitoring centre when a stranger requests entry into a home.
Epilepsy sensor Placed underneath the mattress, the epilepsy sensor detects tonic-clonic seizures and alerts the monitoring centre or carer immediately to provide appropriate assistance.
Medication dispenser Pivotell® Mark3/11 automatic pill dispenser, with 1-28 daily alarms and features designed for Pharmacy Filling. We also supply spare cassettes to make filling easier.
The Notifier pager  A portable telecare pager. The carer will receive direct alerts on the Notifier, informing them exactly where the alert is coming from, enabling a prompt and targeted response

Telecare charges

Charges are based upon specific care pathways.

The service is available to everyone currently receiving care and support. Charges would be based on financial assessment.

All other people are able to access the TeleCareline service for a weekly charge as shown in the table below.

Levels of TeleCareLine service

The level of service required will be based on the information provided and review by the Telecare Advisor.

If you are absent from home but still have Telecare equipment in your home, the relevant weekly cost will still apply.

How can I get a telecare service or find out more?

If you’re already receiving some kind of social care support, referral can be made by your allocated worker. Referrals can be made by health professionals involved in supporting you. If you feel you or the person you care for could benefit from TeleCare, Adult Social Care Direct can help to explore your needs further and identify the right support for you.

Please contact the telecare team directly on 024 7697 8933.

You can access Telecare for yourself or on behalf of someone else by completing the referral form and sending it as advised on the form [/downloads/download/3363/telecare_application_form].