Help for elderly at the touch of a button

WHILE women can typically expect to live up to five years longer than men, many face the prospect of living alone.

And now Age Concern Oldham is encouraging families to purchase a personal alarm system, Aid Call, as a gift for Mother’s Day on Sunday.

More than half of women aged 75 and over live alone and while they might feel confident, the risk of falling increases with age.

Aid Call costs £129 and provides reassurance to older people that they can get instant help if they fall or have an accident in their home or garden.

Lisa O’Brien, from Age Concern Oldham, said: “Retaining independence in older age is vital to many people and being able to continue living in one’s own home plays a big part in this.

“Aid Call is quite literally the gift of independence; you can’t always be there but Aid Call can.”

One touch of the button on an Aid Call personal alarm connects the caller to a dedicated Response Centre, which is staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The alarm system operates a two-way speech link to enable the person who has raised the alarm to talk to an operator within seconds.

The operator can then in turn contact their chosen keyholder — a friend, neighbour or relative — who will come to their aid.

If there is no keyholder available, the emergency services will be contacted.

To find out more about Aid Call contact Lisa O’Brien on 0161-633 0213, visit 6 Lord Street, Oldham, or go to the website: www.aidcall.co.uk