How Herts Careline can relieve fears of older people living alone

People using our service tell us every day that we make a positive difference to their lives. Then sometimes, a specific incident stops us in our tracks and reminds us of the critical need of our service. We know that one of the greatest fears among older adults is dying alone and undiscovered, and we’re pleased to say that this was not the case for this person using our service.

We took an ‘inactivity alert’ from a pendant alarm. ‘Inactivity’ alerts tell us when someone hasn’t moved for a period of time. Sometimes, it’s because a pendant isn’t being worn, but its main intention is to tell our control room if a person hasn’t moved because they have fallen unconscious.

This is the case of this incident, when an alert came from a 91-year-old who lives on their own and was prone to falls. They had previously triggered an inactivity alert when not wearing their pendant, and our call operators gently explained the importance of always wearing the device. The following morning, the Herts Careline control room received an inactivity alert from their pendant again.

As per our procedures, the call operator first attempted to contact them via the home phone, but there was no response. A voicemail was left, and the operator proceeded to contact their informal responders. The first was unavailable, but the second was able to attend. Upon arrival, they found them unconscious on the bathroom floor. The operator immediately summoned an ambulance, which arrived within 40 minutes. The responder remained with them until emergency services arrived and took them to hospital where they were treated for two weeks. They have since returned home with Herts Careline support continuing in place.

It goes to show the value of assistive technology in enabling rapid emergency response and avoiding prolonged periods of distress or risk. Without these alerts, this service user may have gone unnoticed for hours or even days. Thanks to the technology and swift actions of Herts Careline call operators, our service user was not left alone in her time of need. If you have a worry about someone you know who might need a little more support at home, please do contact us to see how we can help – either from our digital alarm equipment or our daily reassurance All OK welfare call service.