Age UK campaign helps older people stay independent in their homes

Age UK revealed this week that more than 11,000 customers were assisted by their personal alarms in the first half of 2012.

The alarms are part of the Age UK ‘Living Your Way’ campaign which has been launched to enable older people to stay independent and well for longer, by giving them access to information, advice, practical services and specially designed products.

The alarm service gives customers reassurance that should they need to call for help, support is available at the touch of a button. Around 45,000 people in the UK rely on a personal alarm from Age UK.

In the first six months of 2012, the Age UK personal alarms team successfully assisted 7,183 customers by contacting their keyholders and placed 4,235 emergency calls for those customers in urgent need of help. In total, the call centre team took 374,862 calls during the first half of 2012, an increase of over 28,000 from the same period in 2011.

Gordon Morris, managing director, Age UK Enterprises said: “We know that many people are keen to keep living in their own home and maintain their independence as long as possible even as their health becomes more fragile. This latest data highlights just how important the Age UK personal alarm service is to thousands of customers in the UK who may be in need of assistance. Our UK based call centre provides customers with reassurance on a daily basis that help is on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

For more information and for a free ‘Living You Way’ guide, visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/livingyourway