Ipswich Borough Council is reminding residents that the Home Emergency Alarm Response Service (HEARS) remains available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to provide vital home support services, giving you peace of mind over the festive period.
The personal alarm service enables people in need of support to live as independently as possible in their own homes with reassurance that help is on hand if they need it.
All customers receive a wearable personal alarm button, and in the event of an accident or emergency, users can press their pendant, putting them in touch with the emergency control room. Customers can then talk to an operator through a loudspeaker on the alarm unit. The control team will automatically know who is calling and where they are, and depending on the type of service they have, will decide whether to inform friends, family, the HEARS response team or the emergency services.
Councillor Alasdair Ross, Ipswich Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Community Protection and Health says: “HEARS is a vital service available to anyone living in Ipswich and the surrounding area who wants to be able to live independently but would like the option of asking for help should they need it.
“Each winter sees an increase in the risk of falls, which is one of the most common calls we respond to. Our service gives families peace of mind, knowing that their family member can ask for help at any time, quickly and safely. Our trained, Ipswich-based contact centre is available to provide reassurance until our Responders arrive to assist in person.”
HEARS provides two levels of service, one for monitoring and responding and another for monitoring only.
The full response and monitoring service means that in an emergency, trained responders will attend the property to help. The alarm only monitoring service allows the user to contact the control room when they are in need of help, who will then contact the emergency services or next of kin as the situation requires.
For more information about the HEARS service, visit: www.hearsalarm.co.uk or call 01473 433236. The monitoring service costs from 46p per day and the full response service from 87p per day.
