Over 1,400 calls a day to Age Concern
Latest data from British advocacy group, Age Concern’s Personal Alarms demonstrates the impact of this winter’s extreme weather on those in later life, with a record breaking number of calls made to the dedicated response centre between October and December 2010.
During this period an average of 1,400 calls were made per day.
December was the busiest month for the call centre with a total of 43,737 calls received; 1,293 on Christmas Day alone. Only 600 of calls in December led to the emergency 999 services being called with the remaining calls resolved by the call centre operators.
Gordon Morris, managing director of Age United Kingdom (UK) Enterprises, the commercial services arm of the charity Age UK, said “The festive season is one of the busiest times for calls to our response centre with over 1,200 calls received on Christmas Day alone”.
Even with a record numbers of calls made to the Age Concern Personal Alarm call centre, customer satisfaction stayed high with 93% saying they would recommend the service to a friend. A further 94% believe the service offers excellent or good value for money.
Age Concern’s Personal Alarm Service provides help at the touch of a button by connecting a customer with a dedicated Response Centre, staffed round the clock. The service is used by over 40,000 people across the UK and helps make them feel reassured about their safety and security at home. Importantly, it also gives family and friends peace of mind about their loved ones living at home.
The alarm system operates a two-way speech link to enable the person who has raised the alarm to talk to an operator within seconds. The operator can then contact the chosen keyholder – a friend, neighbour or relative – who will visit and offer assistance. If there is no contact available, the emergency services will be contacted. The alarm is lightweight and can be worn around the neck or on the wrist. It is waterproof so can be worn at all times whether in the bathroom, kitchen and garden.
