Community alarm scheme centre re-opens
Thursday 8 May 2008
Haringey Council's community alarm centre was formally re-opened by cabinet member Cllr Bob Harris today.
The community alarm scheme is based at the new control room in Wood Green and is the nerve centre of the council's telecare service.
The control room has just been refurbished and upgraded to provide a better service to more residents.
The centre takes 6,000 calls a week and has increased the number of clients it helps from 4,000 to 4,500. Residents who are elderly, have a disability, are chronically ill, at risk from falls, caring for someone, living alone or vulnerable or experience domestic violence or any kind of harassment can apply to use the service.
It's an immediate 24-hour emergency service operating every day of the year.
It can help where someone has had a fall at their home and can't get up. They press a button which is attached to a pendant or wristband.
A signal is sent via a small machine attached to your phone to the control room where an emergency response officer will identify who you are, speak to you and decide how to help you, whether to send one of the team round to the house or call an ambulance. The team also keeps keys to clients' homes so they can either get into the house themselves or let the emergency services in.
It can also be used as an automatic alarm - for example when someone leaves a gas cooker on or when someone who suffers from dementia leaves the house unaccompanied.
The council has liaised with Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust to extend the system to also provide medical back-up. It can be used to sound an alarm to remind the client when medication should be taken as well as recording and logging health statistics such as blood pressure.
Cllr Bob Harris, cabinet member for adult social care, said:
"One of the key aims is to help people live an independent life in their own homes. This system is an integral part of meeting that objective.
"It gives people confidence that they are safe and well at home - as well as providing around the clock help and support.
"We've had a new system installed at the centre which means we can deal with calls and alarms more quickly and prioritise how they are dealt with."
More details about the scheme are at: www.haringey.gov.uk/safe_sound_alarm you can call the team on 020 8489 2365 or you can write to them at:
Community Alarm Service
Woodside House
294 High Road
Wood Green
London
N22 8YX
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