Telecare - What is Telecare?

Cumbria County Council Adult Social Care Directorate in partnership with the health service, the district councils, voluntary organisations and Cumbria’s community alarm providers, has developed a Telecare service.  This service is available across Cumbria.  

Telecare is the new name for more advanced community alarm services.  Community alarms plug into your telephone line and come with a call button which you can attach to yourself or your clothing.  Using the button, you can summon help from anywhere in your home.

Telecare can have more sensors than community alarms so it can detect things like:

• fires and smoke;
• extremes of heat;
• carbon monoxide and natural gas;
• flooding; and
• bogus callers.

Telecare sensors can also monitor where you are at home such as if you: 

• have stopped moving;
• have had a fall;
• have gone outside; and
• are in bed or sitting in a chair.

With these sensors, Telecare can be set up to alert a call handling centre if there may be a problem in your home so they can take follow up action.  The call handling centre offers a 24 hour a day, 7 day week service.

Your local Telecare provider can give your more information about the types of sensors available and how they work.