Careline Alarms can be confusing. There are several different devices and services available, as well as different terminology being used for the product across the market.
In our helpful, comprehensive guide, we'll explain every part of our service and how it can benefit the elderly, vulnerable and disabled across the country. Before we explain about the service and equipment, we'll share some of the worrying statistics about our aging population.
An Aging Population - The Risks
The UK has an aging population and the elderly are continuing to live longer thanks to medical breakthroughs. Statistics published in December 2017 show that there are currently 11.8 million people over the age of 65 in the UK, with a further 1.6 million people over the age of 85. Other population statistics can be found on the following infographic:
It is the risk of falls and sudden medical problems which cause so much worry for the elderly and disabled, as well as for their family and friends. The risk increases if said elderly person lives alone, which is becoming common. Statistics show that:
- 3.64 million people over the age of 65 live alone in the UK. That's 32%.
- 17% of older people are in contact with family, friends and neighbours less than once a week.
- 51% of people over the age of 75 live alone.
(*Credit to Campaign to End Loneliness.)
Living alone places elderly people at risk, especially if they are prone to falls. Should they have a fall, it could be hours or even days before somebody is able to help them back to their feet. Careline Alarms are the number one solution to alleviating this problem.
Who are we?
Careline365 is a national provider of Careline Alarms, also known as Telecare Alarms and Personal Alarms.
We support thousands of elderly, disabled and vulnerable people right across the country, in the comfort of their own home. We believe that there is an alternative to moving into care, and that people can enjoy their later years without fear.
As we're a national, private, provider of Careline Alarms we're not tied down to any local governments. This means that we can offer the most affordable prices possible for our alarms, whilst providing a high-quality service.
In fact, we have two different price packages available so that the alarm user and/or their families can choose the option most suited to their financial situation. Our alarm users can choose to pay for their alarm on a monthly or yearly basis.
Who can benefit from a Careline Alarm?
Careline Alarms are ideal for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable across the country. They are especially helpful for those who live alone, as they provide help and support that may otherwise not be found in an emergency.
Many elderly and vulnerable people, especially those who are by themselves, worry about what the consequences of a fall could be. If an elderly person has a fall and is unable to get back up again they may not be able to find help. It could be that they are left on the floor for hours, or even days, before a loved one or neighbour pops round to see them.
Of course, it's not just the aforementioned people who have these fears and concerns. It's also the families and friends of the elderly and vulnerable that often worry about their loved one's well-being when they are not with them.
Careline Alarms can remove these fears and concerns, for everybody. The new alarm user can feel safe and comfortable in their own home, knowing that with just one push of a button, help will be there for them. In the long run, it also means that they can remain independent and out of any care homes or hospital wards. Friends and family members will also feel much better, knowing that their loved ones are being looked after by a reliable, 24-hour service.
Of course, anybody who lives alone or is looking for some peace of mind can purchase a Careline Alarm.
Careline Alarms - The Base Unit
Our Careline Alarms come in two separate parts, which link together to form a life-saving package. The first part of the service is the alarm base unit, which is plugged into the alarm user's telephone socket and a power socket. The user's telephone is then connected to the back of the base unit, using the adapter provided.
The base unit comes with a grey and white casing and is small enough to be discreetly installed in the alarm user's hallway or living room (or wherever their telephone socket may be located). Once the base unit has been plugged in, it will act as a form of vocal communication between the alarm user and the monitoring team.
The base unit has a loudspeaker and built-in microphone system, which means any communication between ourselves and the alarm user will be crisp and clear. The loudspeaker is loud enough for the alarm user to hear even if they are in a different room of the house.
To the right of the loudspeaker there are three buttons, the biggest of which is the red help button. This can be pressed by the alarm user in an emergency as an alternative to pressing their pendant button.
Another great feature of the Careline Alarm's base unit is that it comes with a back-up battery, which will boot-up up should there be a power cut. This 'support' battery has a charge of 40 hours, and once power is restored it will begin to recharge itself so that it is ready for any future power cuts. It's this feature that makes our alarm users feel even safer, especially as power cuts can cause people to panic.
Careline Alarms - The Pendant
The second part of the Careline Alarm is the pendant. This sleek and stylish device has multiple wearing options so that the alarm user can feel as comfortable as possible with it on. Alarm users can choose to wear their pendant around their neck with a neck cord, around their wrist with an elasticated strap, or on their belt. All three attachments are included with all our Careline Alarms.
The pendant itself is rather stylish, yet discreet at the same time. Its size means that it is easy to conceal under a long sleeve or underneath an item of clothing if it's around the neck. At the same time, its stylish look means that many of our alarm users choose to keep it on and visible at all times - even when they leave their home.
This pendant is the latest of its kind to be released, which means that it is full of the very latest industry technology. Great features of the pendant include:
- A Great Battery Life: Our pendant has a huge seven-year battery life. Once the battery begins to run low, we will receive a warning message and a free replacement will be sent to the alarm user before their battery runs out. The use of such an efficient battery means that the alarm user doesn't have to worry about charging their device.
- Waterproof: Our pendant is waterproof, which means it will still work in the bathroom. As we know, getting in and out of the bath/shower can be dangerous. It's very easy to slip or trip in and around the bath tub. Being able to wear their pendant here provides the alarm user and their loved ones with some peace of mind.
- Medical Frequency: We understand that many of our alarm users may have medical equipment in their home. Therefore, the pendant uses the 869MHz European Social Alarm Frequency. This means that it will not interfere with any other medical equipment around the home.
- A Large Range: Alarm users can use their pendants anywhere within their home and outside in the garden. This is because our pendant has a range of around 100 metres. During the set-up of the alarm, the alarm user will be asked to test the pendant at the bottom of their garden.
Of course, the main feature of the pendant is the red help button. Like the red button on the base unit, the alarm user can press this button in an emergency and the monitoring team will respond. Despite the small size of the pendant, the actual help button is a third larger than the one used on the previous model.
Fall Detector Pendant
An alternative to our standard pendant is the clever Vibby Fall Detector. This pendant offers extra security to the alarm user, as it will send an automatic alert call through to our monitoring centre if the alarm user has a fall. This means that there is no need to press the help button on the base unit or on the pendant.
The lightweight pendant, weighing just 35g, will signify that an alarm call has been made with an LED light. The waterproof pendant will also vibrate to show that the monitoring team have been alerted.
To cancel the alarm call, the user simply needs to cover the face of the pendant with their hands or stand up within the 20-second period after the alarm call was made. The Vibby pendant can also be used in the same way as the standard pendant, with the user pressing the help button.
The fall detector package is available now.
Delivery & Set-Up
We know that getting an alarm arranged for a loved one, friend or for yourself can be an extremely important thing to do. Speed is key within our industry, especially if the alarm user suffers from a medical condition or has recently suffered from a fall.
This is why we offer free next day delivery on all of our Careline Alarms. This means that our alarm users can be set-up and ready to go within 24-hours of placing their order, with the timing here potentially making all the difference.
Our alarms are easy to understand and simple to install, either by the alarm user or by a loved one. As previously mentioned in this post, the base unit simply needs to be plugged into the telephone socket and a power socket. The telephone then needs to be plugged into the back of the base unit.
Once everything is plugged in, the alarm user can begin their test call by pressing the red help button on the base unit. Once the button has been pressed, a member of the monitoring team will respond over the loudspeaker. During the test call, the monitoring team will ensure that everything has been set-up correctly and that they have all the relevant information for the alarm user.
After the set-up process is complete, the alarm user will be able to use their Careline Alarm to call for help in an emergency.
24-Hour Monitoring Team
Throughout this post we have talked about our monitoring team. They play a pivotal part in the Careline service and have gone through extensive training to ensure that they provide all of our alarm users with a reliable and high-quality service.
They are available all year round, 24-hours-a-day to ensure that alarm users can always find help when they need it. Once an alarm user has pressed their pendant, an alert message will be raised at the monitoring centre.
A member of the team will respond within a few seconds, via the loudspeaker on the base unit. The team member will speak with the alarm user, asking them what has happened and if they're feeling okay, before taking the correct course of action.
Commonly, this will include contacting the emergency services if the alarm user requires medical attention, as well as friends, family or neighbours - which we will take a look at in a moment. Once help has been found, the monitoring team member will keep checking in with the alarm user for reassurance.
If the emergency services are called, the monitoring team will also share the alarm user's medical history (including any medication) with the paramedics. This knowledge will put the paramedics in the best possible position to help once they arrive.
Should the monitoring team not hear any response from the alarm user, they will assume that they require urgent attention and will automatically call for the emergency services. Our team are very experienced professionals and know how to handle every situation.
Emergency Contacts
The alarm user's emergency contacts play a key role in our service. During the set-up process, all our alarm users are asked to give details of family members, friends or neighbours who they want our monitoring centre to call in an emergency.
To join our service, we need the potential alarm user to have at least one emergency contact. Ideally the alarm user would have two or three different people on their list of emergency contacts.
Alarm users should take location into consideration when selecting their emergency contacts. The closer that a contact lives to an alarm user, the quicker they will be able to get to them in an emergency situation.
The list of emergency contacts can be updated or swapped out at any point by our customer services team, on 0800 101 3333.
Key Safes
Alongside our Careline Alarms, we also have a few different key safes available. Key safes add extra security to the home, with people being able to store their house keys behind a secure combination code. This is a suitable replacement for keeping keys underneath the plant pots or doormats.
Key Safes are particularly useful for our alarm users. If they want to, alarm users can share their combination code with our monitoring team, so that they can then pass this information onto the paramedics in an emergency situation.
This process ensures that the paramedics can always gain access to the alarm user's home, even if the door is locked and no emergency contacts have arrived yet. The minutes and even seconds saved here could make all the difference. Take a look at our key safes.
Testimonals
Careline Alarms do have a life-changing and lasting effect on the user and their loved ones. Having a Careline Alarm can take away plenty of fear and worry about what could happen if a loved one suffers from a fall or takes a turn for the worse medically.
A large number of our alarm users, and their families, leave positive feedback about our service in their testimonial reviews. We are constantly reading about how easy our system was to install and how much of a difference the alarm has made. Here're some examples of our reviews:
We ordered this and it was installed and working within 24 hours just as advertised. This was very important to us as it meant my mum could go back to her own home and not a rehabilitation ward which she felt strongly she did not want to go to. As a family we have peace of mind that help is there 24 hours for mum. Fantastic product and customer service. Thank you!" - Malcolm
"The Careline was easy for my daughter to set-up. When we were testing the Careline, the people on the other end of the phone were friendly. The people guided my daughter through the final set-up clearly. She followed the guide and my Careline was set-up.. me and my daughter can now relax knowing if I have another fall there is help with just a press of a button. I am very impressed." - Ms. Mackay
More genuine reviews can be found on the Trustpilot website.
VAT Exemption
Alarm users will be exempt from any VAT charges if they meet the criteria set by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The qualification criteria includes the alarm user having a long-term illness, a terminal illness or a disability.
A 'long-term' or 'chronic' illness has been defined by The World Health Organisation as being a condition which lasts longer than three months. Common examples include diabetes, cancer, arthritis and osteoporosis.
During the set-up process, all of our alarm users are asked to declare any conditions which they feel would qualify them for VAT exemption.
More Information
For more information about our Careline Alarms, potential alarm users or their loved ones can call our customers services team on 0800 101 3333. Our team are available between 8am and 7pm, Monday to Friday, and between 10am and 4pm during weekends.
Alternatively, any questions can be sent via email to info@careline.co.uk, or via our 'Contact Us' form and member of the team will be in touch within 24 hours.
