Community Alarm

Community Alarm is Aspire Housing’s 24 hour telecare monitoring and reassurance service.

Our main aim is to help vulnerable people to live independently at home – safe in the knowledge that help is only seconds away.

How can Community Alarm help?
The telephone is the only means of contact with family and friends for many people, but in a crisis or emergency it can be difficult to find and dial a number. Perhaps the telephone is in another room or it’s hard to decide who it is best to call.

What do I need to have Community Alarm installed?
All you need is a telephone point with an electrical socket nearby. We will arrange and install everything for you. You don’t need to be a tenant of Aspire Housing – Community Alarm is available to everybody.

You can also have Community Alarm on just a short term basis
Community Alarm is available for short term emergency telecare cover. This will allow families to go on holiday, safe in the knowledge that their elderly or vulnerable relative or friend will be safe whilst they are away.

The service can also be used following a stay in hospital.

How does Community Alarm work?
To use the alarm unit all you do is simple press the red button on your pendant. This activates the unit to make the call. The pendant can be word around your neck or on your wrist and is kept with you at all times.

Our trained and friendly control centre staff will answer your call quickly. They will access your details (including any health problems that you may have) which we store on our computer system and we contact the relevant friend or family member – or emergency service – on your behalf.

What action will be taken to deal with my call?
The operator will talk to you to find out what your problem is. They will offer advice and give you reassurance that help is on its way.

This help could be in the form of your family, friends, GP, emergency services – or it may be appropriate for us to send a member of our team to check on the situation.

Aspire Housing’s commitment to you:

• Community Alarm is fully compliant with the Telecare Service Association Code of Practice

• We provide an emergency monitoring service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

• All calls are answered quickly. The Telecare Service Association requires us to answer 80% in 30 seconds and 98.5% in one minute

• Operators are on duty at all times

• Operators take account of the customer’s wishes when deciding what to do

• We have procedures to ensure operators provide appropriate assistance in a wide range of circumstances

• Personal details are regularly checked and are kept and handled confidentially by all staff

• Alarm equipment is tested regularly and maintained in good working order

• We regularly check that our customers are happy with the service we provide

• We have a complaints policy about which all customers are informed

• We can continue to work if essential services fail (eg. electricity)

• All alarm calls received by the Community Alarm centre are voice recorded

 

For more information about Aspire Housing’s Community Alarm service, telephone 01782 635 200, minicom 01782 854 993, email at enquiries@aspirehousing.co.uk, or write to us at Aspire Housing, Kingsley, The Brampton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
ST5 0QW