Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

From telephones with large buttons to fall detectors and property exit sensors, a new Telecare demonstration and training facility in Carmarthenshire has got it all. Based at a Tycroes sheltered housing scheme, the facility is used to show the wide range of equipment which is available to help people live independently in their own homes. Health and social care professionals, as well as service users and relatives, can visit the facility to learn more about the equipment, and the service which links it up to the council’s 24/7 Careline+ monitoring service. Currently, there are more than 1,400 Telecare packages installed in Carmarthenshire, which – as well as helping people to manage risks in their home environment - also provides peace of mind to relatives and carers. Should any of the detectors or sensors be activated, Careline+ operatives speak to service users in real-time to offer reassurance and call for appropriate help. Telecare manager, Jeanette Munn, said: “Through p...

More than 10 people have been saved from the deadly poisons of carbon monoxide thanks to Telecare – a system which helps vulnerable people live independently at home. Since April 2010, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Careline+ staff have dealt with 16 incidents where carbon monoxide detectors, installed as part of a Telecare package, have triggered an alarm and set an emergency response in action. Whilst five of them turned out to be false alarms, the other 11 have been actual incidents where, if it were not for the alarm being triggered, may have led to deadly consequences for the residents. Telecare manager Jeanette Munn said: “The most recent incident was only last week, where a carbon monoxide alarm was triggered and our Careline+ staff alerted the fire service. Fortunately, we were able to provide a quick response, as the chimney had become blocked and carbon monoxide gases were building up inside the property. “We are very fortunate to have a good partnership with the fire servi...

Carers, councillors, staff and members of the public are among those that have already visited a new Telecare demonstration and training facility in Carmarthenshire. The facility, at Pant Y Boblen Sheltered Housing Scheme in Tycroes, is fully fitted with a wide range of equipment which is used to help people live independently in their own homes. Telecare is an innovative system which uses a range of discreet equipment, including smoke, carbon monoxide and flood detectors, fall detectors and property exit sensors, to help people manage risks within their home environment. The service is linked to the council’s 24/7 Careline+ monitoring service, and provides extra peace of mind for carers and relatives of older or vulnerable people living at home. Should any of the detectors or sensors be activated, Careline+ operatives speak to service users in real-time to offer reassurance and call for appropriate help. Telecare manager, Jeanette Munn, said: “Through partnership working with colleagu...

The lives of a Burry Port couple have been saved - twice - thanks to the council’s Telecare service. William and Nellie Lamb, who now live at the town’s Tan-y-Bryn sheltered housing scheme, are grateful to be alive to tell the tale of how a carbon monoxide alarm, fitted as part of a Telecare package, saved them from being poisoned on two separate occasions. “We’re very lucky to be alive,” said Mr Lamb, aged 90. “The service is marvellous, and we want to thank everyone, from our social worker to the man who came to fit it.” Mr and Mrs Lamb’s daughter, Elizabeth Clarke, came to know about the Telecare service after contacting Carmarthenshire County Council for advice on various care options for her parents, who were then living in a chalet at Burry Port’s Shoreline Caravan Park. One of the services offered was Telecare, where discreet alarm sensors are fitted around the home, which are linked to a 24-hour response team. A package was installed in summer 2010, and in October the alarms we...

Carmarthenshire’s high-tech Telecare response service which helps people to live independently, is due to feature on an S4C home programme. Telecare will be featured on Sioe’r Tŷ, a show which visits homes across Wales to show what people have done to their houses, along with design and DIY advice, and cleaning and money tips. Telecare assessor Tracy Rees will be seen in a forthcoming episode discussing the various options open to people to help them live at home safely and securely. Carmarthenshire County Council launched the service, which links in to Careline, in 2007. Telecare assessors visit peoples’ homes and design a Telecare package to meet their individual needs. There are various types of discreet alarm sensors, from carbon monoxide detectors, flood detectors and door exit sensors, to sensors that can detect a fall. Should any of the alarms be triggered, the council’s Careline operators can immediately respond by speaking to the client through a two-way monitor. They then as...