People who remain independent in retirement benefit tremendously from a more active lifestyle. Independence brings both physical and psychological advantages. But with 48% of the UK population set to be over 65 by 2026, this represents a great challenge. Whilst there are both financial and physical benefits to remaining at home, there are some risks associated with remaining independent at home.

Falls

The older a person becomes the more vulnerable they are to a range of risks. Falls can have a devastating effect upon the individual both physically and mentally. Around 30% of over 65's suffer a fall at least once a year. There are over 8000 falls each day in elderly people, 20% of which require hospital treatment. The most common injuries being broken wrists and fractures of the femur.

There are a number of factors why elderly people are more susceptible to falls – ranging from poor balance due to failing eyesight, muscle weakness, medication, and various neurological ailments. There are also a number of environmental factors such as loose rugs, trailing cables and wet surfaces that can easily cause a fall.

Many elderly people use a Telecare pendant at home that is linked to a Careline or lifeline service. When the pendant is pressed, an immediate connection is made with a Careline operator who can gauge the situation and summon assistance where needed. Whilst this does not prevent a fall, the telecare service ensures help is immediately available. However, a Telecare pendent can only be used within the home.

SilvercareUK has one solution that assists in helping people retain independence wherever they are, whether at home, out shopping or even on holiday.

SilverCareUK has teamed up with CarelineUK, the UK’s largest Alarm response centre to provide a premium Telecare service. We offer a GPS pendant called a SmartLinQ that provides 24/7 monitoring of the user. The SmartlinQ is an easy to use mobile phone with GPS technology. The SmartlinQ has an SOS button, that when pressed will immediately call a highly trained CarelineUK Operator who will provide whatever assistance is needed.

As the SmartlinQ has GPS the operator can immediately see where the user is, so help can be summoned not just in the home but anywhere in the UK. The SmartlinQ also has a fall sensor, so if an person falls over, this is immediately activated and sends an automatic alert to CarelineUK who will again provide assistance.