A range of sophisticated monitors and alarms can help support vulnerable people living independently. Independent Occupational Therapists Birgit Rathje-Vale and Jayne Wright of Independent Rehabilitation Services explain how.

Most people want to stay in their own homes and be as independent as possible. Each month we discuss ideas and aids that can help make everyday activities such as personal care, household tasks and leisure activities easier and safer to perform.

Frail elderly people, and those with memory difficulties, physical disabilities, long-term conditions or recovering from a period of illness, can be more vulnerable and at risk of falls and injury. Certain activities, certain areas of the house or time of day can pose more of a risk – for example, cooking, using the bathroom, enjoying the garden and at night.

Adapting the home may reduce the risks and give people confidence and a sense of security they can get help when they need it. It can also give reassurance to carers, family and friends to support the person to remain in their own home.

There are some sophisticated aids available to support independence and safety at home. Some are battery-operated, some require a power supply and others use the telephone network.

Some systems monitor and/or control the home environment, such as Telecare or Smart Homes. The advantage of these is that, while people still have the option to actively call for help or reassurance should they need it, their environment and activity within the home can be monitored sensitively.

A system is made up of sensors and/or prompts to remind the user to do an essential task, and they can be tailored to individual need. A signal is sent via the telephone network to a call centre that will respond in an appropriate way when they receive an alert. This could be by phoning the person or sounding an alarm to warn them of a problem, alerting emergency services or sending someone to the home.

An intercom alarm (baby alarm) enables a person to communicate his or her needs to a carer in another room. Some systems have two-way communication, allowing for room-to room conversation, or a portable receiver can give a carer more freedom to move around the home and garden. Intercoms can be used to monitor someone’s activity, but should not be used in situations where they invade his or her privacy.

Personal alarms are used to call for help and are particularly useful for people who live alone, where both partners are frail, or for people who are on their own for substantial periods of time during the day or night. Community alarms use the telephone network. They comprise a  trigger, usually worn around the wrist or as a neck pendant. Pushing the button on the trigger sends an emergency signal to a unit integral to, or attached to, the telephone. Some systems phone relatives or neighbours, who are key-holders, to provide assistance. Other systems dial through to a call centre that holds details of the caller, and the call centre staff can then respond in an appropriate way.

A fall at any age is likely to leave you shaken; the experience can be both traumatic and serious. Falls can the main reason why older or disabled people have to give up the independence of living in their own homes and move into sheltered accommodation.

Pressure mats, which have an audible alarm, positioned beside a bed or chair or at a doorway, can help prevent falls.

They alert carers when someone leaves a bed or chair. This can give the person and the carer more freedom, alerting the latter only when necessary, and are often particularly helpful during the night.

Pressure mats and wander alarms can be useful to alert the carer should the person wander outside the ‘safe’ area of the house into an area where there is a higher level of risk – for example, out of the bedroom on to the landing where there is a risk of falling down the stairs, or going outside the house into the garden and beyond. These devices are often easy to move between different locations.

Some wander alarms, also often referred to as activity sensors, have body-worn triggers that set off an alert when the person passes by sensors. As well as alerting carers or monitoring if someone leaves a safe area of the house, these can be used to trigger lighting to enable the person to move around more safely at night. They can be used to steer them away from hazards such as the stairs and to see where they want to go – for instance, from the bedroom to the bathroom.

A fall detector, worn on a cord around the neck or around the wrist, can sense a serious fall and raise an alarm at a monitoring centre. Activity sensors can be monitored, and if there is little movement of the person around the home, a call or a personal visit can be made to check that everything is all right.