Personal Alarms Help Older People Feel Safe and Secure to Remain Living Independently

INS LifeGuard

One of the most difficult things about ageing is it often leads to challenges completing normal everyday activities. It can be incredibly frustrating to realise we need help with everyday tasks. Older people may avoid asking for such help out of embarrassment or even fear of losing their independence.

Occupational therapy does wonders to help people recover and maintain the fine motor skills needed to remain active and independent. It can also help prevent falls, a leading cause of serious injury in the elderly.

If you’re looking for other ways to improve the health of your older clients, an important thing to consider is a personal alarm system. At their most basic, personal alarms let people summon assistance at the press of a button if they are unwell, or have an accident or injury at home. They can also provide fall detection, the importance of which has been shown by numerous accounts of people spending hours on the floor after a fall before finally being found.

But which personal alarm is right for your clients?

When recommending a personal alarm system, it’s important to consider who responds to the alarms, and what their qualifications are. One of the leading providers in Australia, and the largest provider to the retirement village industry, INS LifeGuard is staffed by healthcare professionals. They don’t use security guards, school-leavers or the first aid attendants commonly used in the industry. As a healthcare provider, INS believes in providing preventative services that can help avoid the need for emergency response entirely. With INS, when you press the help button, you’re talking to nurses and other qualified healthcare professionals. This means INS can tailor their services around prevention. They encourage clients to press their button whenever they are feeling unwell, have medical or health-related questions, or even if they’re feeling lonely or just need to chat. This is an important distinction.

How many times have we heard of someone who, for example, had been having chest pains for hours and didn’t tell anyone? They didn’t realise it was serious and didn’t want to be a bother to anyone. Well INS LifeGuard wants to be bothered – they would much prefer to deal with a situation early, and before it becomes an emergency event. In fact, often INS has been able to avoid serious medical events by having their nurses triage the situation, and offer medical advice and assistance before the situation became critical.

Could your clients benefit from a TeleHealth Service?

INS LifeGuard systems also provide TeleHealth Services – monitored by the client’s family and caregivers, or by Registered Nurses at INS. Clients can record their vital signs – either wirelessly using a range of Bluetooth monitors available from INS (e.g. blood pressure, blood sugar levels, pulse, temperature, weight, and ECG), or manually using their existing equipment.

The data is stored securely and can be accessed at any time directly on the alarm system, or family can access it via their free LifeGuard SmartCarer app or secure, web-based Client Portal.* An electronic report can then be shared with the client’s treating physician, or others, if required.

There is no charge for this service if monitored by family and carers. If your clients choose the professional TeleHealth Service, it includes monitoring of their vital signs by a Registered Nurse with monthly RN reviews and video consultations, as well as reporting to their GP (if desired).

Alternatively, care providers can use their own clinical staff to provide TeleHealth Services via the client’s existing INS system.

*Subject to client consent.

Call for more information

INS offers in-home and mobile alarm systems with many optional extras that can be added at any time. Give INS a call today to learn more about the many benefits they can offer your clients.

1800 636 040 theinsgroup.com.au facebook.com/ INSLifeGuardAUandNZ

INS LifeGuard is part of The INS Group, a leading family-owned Australian Health Care Company dedicated to delivering quality services that support people in their home. Established in 1984 as the Illawarra Nursing Service, INS is one of the oldest care providers in Australia, with substantial experience in providing health care services in the community, as well as eHealth, TeleHealth and accompanying assistive technologies. The INS Group incorporates INS LifeGuard, a specialised response centre operation and provider of next generation SmartHome Medical Alarm systems with integrated virtual care services and technologies, which are available Australia-wide and throughout New Zealand; INS CareCall, providing Emergency Response Equipment and Services; and INS Technologies, developer of health-related technologies.