Hi
My dad cares for my mum who has dementia and mobility issues. She has fallen several times recently and he has had to call on neighbours to help lift her up and has bought several assistance aids (which haven’t worked).
I know the immediate answer is to ring ambulance but he won’t as this takes too long, we wondered if a panic alarm would work but it seems they would just ring us (and we live too far away). Does anyone know if there is a paid service which would be available to send someone round to help? Is this something a care service offers.
Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with something similar?
Thanks
I don’t know if you are still in need of advice on this and I’m very new to the forum & caring but this is actually something I can help with!
There are a number of “panic alarm” type companies and they can each offer something different but the basic premise is the same. My Dad has Careline (or might be Carelink) currently and there’s a box attached to the main phone line plus his pendant (these can be worn around the neck or on the wrist but you wouldn’t need that bit if it’s not the person in danger calling for help). If the button is pressed, either on the box itself or the pendant, an operator connects to you directly from the box and calls out to see if you are okay. You can then explain what has happened or, if you can’t answer, they automatically go down their contact list. The first person is usually a neighbour, then a nearby relative, then the paramedics, depending on what is needed. If the neighbours are unable to help to get someone up then the operator can contact the relevant people. It would be worth speaking to Social Services because they can advise on falls, the care lines (and sometimes have a good rate) or perhaps someone like a carer who can come out to help them up safely. Getting someone up after a fall can be tricky and can make things worse if not done correctly. It might not need a paramedic but it’s worth having someone trained. SS would definitely be my first port of call.
The ambulance should be called, a friend of mine is a senior member of ambulance staff and pre covid said he was fine for his staff to help, they saw it as part of the service, but of course Covid has mucked so many things up.
My mum died in 2015. She had special issues and always needed to be checked out by a paramedic before a lift was attempted, so the call centre were instructed to call an ambulance first, then me.
Maybe ring the Ambulance HQ non urgent number and ask them directly what to do?
Dial 111. They’ll assess the situation and arrange for assistance. 111 arranging an ambulance takes priority in most cases.
Because lifting by someone untrained is fraught with danger for both parties, our advice from carers and paramedics was to call an ambulance. Maybe we’re lucky or maybe they respond faster to someone elderly who has fallen, but we’ve been lucky enough to get fast and efficient responses. If they’ve hit their head or have breathing difficulties, so much the better!
The ambulance service will also contact the GP to say they’ve attended a patient, and this will alert the GP to a worsening situation. This, in turn, gives clear evidence to use when talking to Social Services.