If you fall or have an accident when you are alone, a community alarm linked to devices such as a pendant, smoke alarm or other sensors can be used to contact our 24-hour emergency call support service.
Our community alarm service can support you to live more independently in your own home.
Community alarms
Benefits of a community alarm
A community alarm can help you and your carers manage or obtain help for:
- falls where you cannot get up from the floor
- epileptic fits
- medication prompts
- fire alarm activations
- safe monitoring of people with dementia
The provision of a community alarm is not intended to provide access to regular community carer visits. Where there are frequent calls for assistance for personal care, our social work team will get in touch to discuss your needs.
Community alarm equipment
Our standard community alarm package includes:
- a base unit, which does not require a telephone line
- a pendant which can work around the neck or wrist
- a smoke detector which will be installed on the hall ceiling
- other detectors and sensors based on your needs
Applying for a community alarm
How to apply for a community alarm
If you think you or someone you know may benefit from a community alarm, please contact your closest social work services office.
We can only offer our community alarm services to residents who meet the eligibility criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, we will always offer help and advice on other options that may be more suitable.
Community alarm eligibility criteria
We will assess your needs when you ask for a community alarm. We may suggest other commercially available products, rather than an East Ayrshire Council device.
To be eligible for our community alarm service you will need to have one or more of the following conditions:
- you live alone, or another household member would not be able to seek support, and are frail or becoming increasingly frail
- you have experienced falls or cannot get up after a fall
- you are unable to use a telephone
- you have any of the following medical conditions and cannot seek assistance using a telephone:
- cognitive issues such as dementia
- long-term progressive illness such as Multiple Sclerosis
- learning difficulty
- palliative or end of life prognosis
- you are at high risk of fire, flood or gas exposure within the home which cannot be mitigated by any other method
- you are at risk or, or have already experienced, domestic abuse
- the provision of a community alarm would mean other health and social care or NHS services would not be required, such as prompts to take medication
Charges for the service
The current charge for the community alarm service is £5.75 per week. You will receive an invoice following the installation of your alarm and on an annual basis every April thereafter. The invoice can be paid in instalments and ways to pay including:
- by phone
- bank standing order
- at the Post Office
- at a PayPoint outlet
You will find full details of how you can pay on the invoice that we send you.
Your information and details
When you join the community alarm service you will be asked to provide some key information, including:
- some medical information
- details of your GP
- details of your care package if you have one
We will also ask for the names of relatives or friends who would be happy to hold a key for your property and help in an emergency. If you do not have anyone to help in this way, we can recommend alternative ways to safely allow the emergency services to gain access when needed.
Only information that is absolutely necessary is kept on the control centre computerised system. It is kept in the strictest of confidence and shared with other agencies only when necessary.
If your information changes you should inform the control centre as soon as possible. We will check with you twice a year that this information is correct.
Using a community alarm
How a community alarm works
When you join the service a member of our staff will explain how the equipment works and they show you and your carers how to use it. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you are still unsure about how things work, we are here to help.
There is no requirement to make test calls as the new style of digital alarm unit automatically checks in with us on a regular basis. This enables us to identify faults at an early stage which helps us protect and support you.
If you can't use the standard community alarm equipment, we will be happy to look at your individual needs and may be able to make arrangements so you can communicate with the control centre. It is important that you can use the system with ease and be able to communicate effectively with the control centre.
Accidental calls
Don't worry about accidental calls, everyone makes them, and they also help to test the equipment.
If you do make a call by accident, it is essential that you wait until the call has been answered and the control centre know that everything is alright, otherwise it will be treated as an emergency.
What to do in an emergency
If you are in immediate danger, for example if there is a fire in your home, and you can use the telephone then don’t hesitate and call 999 to contact the emergency services.
You should also press your community alarm to speak to our control centre straight away, anytime day or night. You can also use your pendant to contact the control centre from anywhere in your home or just outside it.
Your community alarm equipment will place a call to the control centre who will answer it and provide assistance. We aim to answer 80% of calls within 30 seconds of them reaching the control centre. We will then contact the right person to respond to your call.
We will not request the emergency response to enter your home without your permission unless we are concerned about your safety or cannot make contact in any other way. Please note if we cannot contact you and need to force entry the costs associated with forced entries are your responsibility.
Faults and maintenance
In the unlikely event that your alarm unit or any other device we provide is faulty please contact us so we can investigate and repair or replace as required.