The Situation

Mrs S is in her early 60s and lives alone after her husband sadly passed away. She became a Progress Lifeline customer after falling unexpectedly at home one evening.

“I was just about to have a bath when I fell on the landing. I didn’t know what had happened or what had caused me to fall and for some reason, I wasn’t able to get back up. I couldn’t get to the home telephone, I was in a lot of pain and my arm was in a strange position. Somehow I managed to get to my knees and crawl to the phone where I rang my friend for help. I think I was in shock.”

Mrs S thought she might have dislocated her shoulder but it turns out that it was much worse than that and she had broken both her shoulder and her arm in two places. Previous to this, Mrs S had also been concerned about a few episodes where she had lost her balance. As a result of this, she has been referred to the falls prevention service for further tests. 

“After the fall, and worried about my health, I was left feeling very vulnerable. Living alone, I started to think about what would have happened if I hadn’t been able to get to the phone.”

The Progress Lifeline solution

After the fall, and with referrals for further tests for irregular walking and balance, Mrs S decided that a personal pendant alarm that she could wear all the time at home, and easily press for help, would make her feel more secure.

“I didn’t realise how vulnerable I was until I found myself in a situation where I could have laid there for days without anyone knowing, and that prompted me to do something sensible. It makes sense to have something to press for help anytime, instead of forgetting to carry a mobile phone around or putting yourself at risk of more injury by trying to move to get to a phone. I put the pendant on, hide it under my clothes, and don’t even think about it most of the time. But I feel much more secure.”

The Installation

Progress Lifeline has an experienced installation team, trained in assessing and installing telecare equipment in the home, who ensure that your lifeline equipment is fitted correctly, test it with the monitoring centre and explain to you in person how it all works.

“I didn’t know what to expect with the installation service from Progress Lifeline but I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Lisa, the installer who came to my house, was wonderful. She had so much patience and went through everything I needed to know about the lifeline service. I love gardening and have quite a large back garden, so Lisa went all round the garden, testing the range of the pendant and how far into the garden it would still connect to the monitoring centre.

Having the equipment installed by someone as friendly and understanding as Lisa made the whole experience of having the lifeline service so much easier.”

Lisa says “I love this job as I really feel like I can help customers. At each installation, I test everything to ensure it is programmed correctly and connects to the monitoring centre. If customers are worried about pressing the pendant in error or during the night, I always reassure them that someone at the monitoring centre will respond at any time day or night.

My job is so rewarding. I’ve been able to help hundreds of people remain living at home independently with the extra help from the lifeline and telecare equipment.”

Outcomes

• Increased feelings of security and peace of mind
• Reduction in feelings of anxiety and worry about falling or becoming ill, whilst living alone
• Increased chances of quicker medical help should another fall or health emergency occur
• Decreased likelihood of further injury caused while trying to move to get to a phone
• The quality of the installation increased confidence in the service

“I think the Progress Lifeline service is marvellous. Due to many different circumstances, people can end up living alone and feeling vulnerable. Sometimes it takes something bad to happen, to make you realise just how needed a service like Progress Lifeline really is”, explains Mrs S.

If you’d like to know more about how Progress Lifeline can benefit you, call us on 03333 204 999 or email us at lifeline@progressgroup.org.uk.