A new product group comparison report on entry-level dispersed alarm units (DAU) for linking through to a telecare monitoring centre has been published on the Telecare EPG. This group test considers entry level models from 7 different suppliers who, collectively, provide nearly 100% of the DAUs sold in the UK market today.
The full 48-page report is available free of charge to institutions and organisations that subscribe to the Telecare EPG. For the rest of us there is still a useful 16 page summary, with some interesting observations. (Particularly the first paragraph, page 14.) T-Cubed Consultancy website for more information and download.
What does DAU stand for again? Don’t Always Use?
It was quite a surprise to see the range of options that are now available on the UK market. It must come as a slap in the face to the likes of Tunstall who seem to think that their products are the only ones that are fit for purpose. It’s great to see a source of independent opinion for telecare equipment – the EPG is starting to look like a specialist Which? magazine for this industry. Keep up the good work. Can the next report be on worn fall detectors please?
Interesting report – Particularly as page 5 states that “fewer than half the service users carried or wore their alarm triggers” when all the 7 DAU tested shown a pendant/watch in the images. Does this mean that less than 50% of the million installations are effective?
@Mark … potentially yes they could well be unless they have passive alerts working with the active alert (pendant) of the DAU.
A DAU is a good first line of defence/protection for many wearers, offering safety and confidence in their independence BUT good practice should include the assessment of “will they press that button?” and in my experience that isn’t assessed frequently or sometimes comprehensively enough.
@Martin: you started a chain of thoughts … Dhow = a stitched boat with a triangular sail …
OR
Dow Corning = the strap line “We help you invent the future”
OR
Dao = “the way” or “the path” … from now on, whilst practising the Dao Yin Poem my meditation will be focused on … dispersed alarm units … HELP!
Dispersed alarm units, passive telecare alarms, SMS messages, mCare and other systems that monitor the individual or their environment – these are all approaches to help relieve anxiety and to provide vulnerable people with the reassurance that they need not feel that they are unsafe and neglected when they are alone. The fact that half the users choose not to carry or wear their alarm triggers at all times should be taken as neither a criticism of the systems nor of the technology. Rather, it demonstrates how telecare can provide the flexibility to give service users the choice of when or where to use their technology support. Perhaps the greatest challenge is to understand which approach will best meet the needs and preferences of a service user so that it continues to give them maximum control over their electronic safety blanket.
If the assessment and tailoring of the service is appropriate then people who may underestimate the level of risk that they face may be further supported by intelligent systems that alarm if their movement patterns are unusual – but these systems also operate through a Dispersed Alarm Unit, so we mustn’t forget their significance irrespective of the wearing compliance of triggers. The fact that the average price is about £100 including the radio trigger, and they are likely to work without trouble for 5 years or more, confirms the cost-effectiveness of telecare and social alarm systems.