The gift of peace of mind – Invest in your safety this Christmas
“There’s no place like home,” said Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and we’d have to agree. So if you have a home you love, living there for as long as possible is no doubt your goal.
But protecting your independence and safety when you’re a senior means being proactive – and also satisfying your family that you are safe and sound.
The upcoming holiday season is a time when families get together and check in with each other. But for most of the year, children with careers and their own families are incredibly busy. Even getting across town to visit elderly parents can be a challenge when there are kids to ferry around, a job, and daily responsibilities. Plus many children don’t live in the same city, or even country, as their elderly parents.
Spoil yourself this Christmas with a personal alarm
Christmas is also a time when we reflect on the fact that another year has whizzed past and we’re all getting older. Often family recognise that elderly parents are a little more fragile and not as capable as they once were, so it can be the perfect time to talk about living arrangements, independence and senior safety.
The goal is to help ensure that you’re still fighting fit next Christmas. The answer is to act early; to protect your health and lifestyle because should you have a fall, being able to access immediate assistance can help reduce the seriousness of an injury.
So before your children give you yet another dressing gown or pair of funky socks for Christmas, suggest a gift that’s much more practical. Or, gift yourself the reassurance of 365 days-a-year support.
What is a personal alarm?
A personal alarm is an unobtrusive but comforting device which can monitor your safety around the clock and alert an emergency response team should it ever be needed. It’s a sensible and simple option for active, self-reliant seniors who want to remain living in their own home. Hopefully you (or your loved one) will never need to use it, but the security of knowing it is there can give you a big physical and mental boost.
The personal alarm that grows with you
By harnessing smart assistive technology, Feros Care personal alarms for older Australians range from the straight-forward, to a comprehensive monitoring and alarm system with optional extras such as a fall detector, voice-activated panic detector or a smoke detector.
A good place to start is with the simple Care@Home Basic personal alarm, which you simply plug in and you’re set to go. A discrete emergency pendant provides the peace of mind of remote monitoring and assistance at the touch of a button. The waterproof pendant links wirelessly to a smart base unit and can detect a fall, while the hands-free speaker and microphone connects with Feros Care’s 24/7 emergency response centre.
Or, perhaps you’d rather wear your alarm on your wrist in the form of a GPS watch! This clever watch alerts your contacts by sending a text message alert with a GPS location when you press the button on the side of the watch. Your contacts can call the device at any time with two-way voice capability, and send a text message to ‘locate’ it. Professional monitoring is also available and you can even wear it in the shower.
Feros Care client Yvonne wearing her GPS watch.
But wait – there’s more!
It gets better too. A personal alarm can be fully or partially funded through a government-subsidised Home Care Package, Commonwealth Home Support Program, Short Term Restorative Care, or other funding (along with connection to the internet, training and support). Alternatively, you can purchase one privately.
This is just the icing on the cake of this all-round, feel-good gift which will boost the emotional confidence of the receiver – and provide the ultimate peace of mind for the giver.
To find out more, click here or phone our friendly team on 1300 090 256.