An alarm unit, which automatically calls for help, proved to be a real lifeline when Jean stumbled and fell outside her home in Maidstone gashing her forehead and breaking her nose and arm.

A year ago, Jean’s husband wanted to be sure that a system was in place to allow him or his wife to continue to live safely and independently at home, if either of them was ever left to cope alone. He arranged for Maidstone Housing Trust to fit an alarm unit which automatically dials through to a monitoring centre, managed by Invicta Telecare, when the wearer presses a button on the wrist strap or pendant. Sadly he passed away just a few weeks after the alarm was fitted.

Recently prescribed blood pressure tablets were making Jean, aged 84, unsteady on her feet. Last month, she fell and landed awkwardly on the kerbside outside her home when she was on her way to visit a neighbour. Fortunately, Jean remembered the alarm unit worked within 100 – 200 feet of her home and pressed her button to summon help, even though she was on the street.

Invicta Telecare’s trained operator who instantly received the call said: “As I got no response when trying to make contact with Jean via her alarm unit, I immediately contacted her nearest keyholder asking her to check on Jean and update me via the unit once she was inside.”

The neighbour discovered Jean on the pavement badly injured and covered in blood. She suspected Jean had broken her arm and also had two black eyes, swollen lips and nose and a deep gash to her forehead. Following Invicta’s instructions, she went into Jean’s house and pressed the button on the alarm unit to speak directly to the operator and update her about the situation. An ambulance was immediately called and fully briefed about Jean’s condition. She was rushed to Maidstone Hospital and admitted for two weeks.

The operator continued: “Unfortunately we knew from our records that Jean had no close family who we could inform about the accident, but we were able to ensure her property was securely locked and made safe whilst she was in hospital.”

Returning home with her arm still in plaster Jean said: “I was so frightened, and dread to think how long I would have been outside lying injured in the cold if I had not had my wrist strap on. It is a really quiet cul-de-sac and we rarely have passers by, so my alarm proved to be a real life saver.”

Invicta Telecare is the largest independent provider of Telecare services in the UK and is part of Circle Anglia, one of the UK’s leading providers of affordable housing. As part of the group, Invicta provides vital Telecare support to over 96,000 vulnerable people across the UK and its local support service helps over 2,000 people to live independently throughout Kent.