Testimonials

“Using Lifeline365’s Footprint can offer an essential service for those working on their own.

A quick press of a button was all it needed to summon support for a Folkestone & Hythe District Council staff member when she was out on a visit.

The council’s lone workers are provided with a Footprint device for their safety.  A Revenues and Benefits Visitor Officer was calling on a service user when she was struck with a walking stick. Thankfully, she managed to remove herself from the situation, but needed someone to talk with while she calmed down.

When she activated her Footprint device, the officer got through to a Lifeline365 Control Centre Operator. The operator was able to offer kind words and reassurance, as well as notifying the officer’s manager about the incident.

The operator explained: “The customer needed to speak with someone about what had happened as she recovered and I was there to offer a listening ear. Luckily, these incidents are rare, but I was able to give the customer a quick helping hand and provide some reassurance to her.”

Although she was out of danger when she called Lifeline365, the officer said she needed to tell someone about what had happened as she was in shock and did not feel she could drive.”

“My parents had been married for 58 years when my Dad passed away in November 2019, aged 89.

Mum was 90 in October and has been in Hythe since 1974. Following the death of my Father, she came to live with me, but I was worried about leaving her alone in the house: it’s Edwardian, with narrow, steep stairs, so I was especially concerned about her falling.

I was told about Lifeline365 and after doing some research, signed up to the service. Mum started off with a pendant alarm, which is designed to be activated by the wearer but she kept taking it off. I wasn’t so concerned at the time as we had gone into the first lockdown and neither of us were going very far, so I was able to keep an eye on her while working from home.

As things eased up and I started to go out more, we changed to the wrist fall detector. This gadget detects when the wearer has a fall and automatically sends an alert. This gave me a massive amount of peace of mind.

Everyone I have spoken with at Lifeline365 has been so helpful, kind and attentive; I think for what we get, it’s amazing value.

Fortunately Mum has never had to use either alarms and I’m hoping that she never does. I wouldn’t want her to be without her alarm and neither would she.”

“It is thanks to Lifeline365 that my mum, Jill, was able to continue living in her own home as long as possible.

In 2016, following the sudden and unexpected death of our dad (George), my brother and I decided that although mum was showing early signs of dementia, the best place for her was our family home in Margate. Mum and dad moved to the house in 1965 – it was everything to her and my dad was still there, in spirit at least.

Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s the following year, but she was still just about coping on her own. With time, this changed and we had to put together a care package. Apart from regular visits from family and friends (which were already happening), this included carers, hot meals and Lifeline365.

Mum started off with a pendant alarm, but with her memory worsening, it eventually wasn’t suitable. We were worried that she would forget to activate the alarm if she fell, and she mislaid it several times, or simply forgot to wear it. However, there were a couple of times when she fell and did remember the alarm – and several false alarms!

Lifeline365 advised us to change to a wrist alarm, which mum wore all the time and which self-activated in the event of a fall.

And there was a fall – a big one. My landline rarely rings and I knew when I flew down the stairs in the early hours of a Sunday in January last year, exactly what it was going to be.

I remember the lovely chap on the other end of the phone trying to reassure me that even though mum’s alarm had gone off and they hadn’t been able to contact her, it was going to be ok.

When I got to mum, I found her semi-conscious on the floor, her head cracked open and blood everywhere. She was still wearing the clothes she’d been in the previous afternoon and she’d probably nodded off on the settee, got up in the middle of the night and fallen, hitting her head on the corner of a coffee table.

An ambulance and hours at A&E later, miraculously, mum was stitched up and ok. However, my brother and I knew that she could no longer live on her own and made one of the most difficult decisions of our lives – to move her to a care home.

This was just a few weeks before the first lockdown and thankfully, we soon found a lovely home. She fairly quickly settled in and although her Alzheimer’s progressed, she was well and happy during her time there.

Looking back, I realise that Lifeline365 was exactly that. With the demands of my life, it was pretty stressful to be on call duty and it was always on my mind. However, without the alarm, mum would never have been able to stay in her home as long as she did. It provided us with a great sense of security and peace of mind.”