Mole Valley Life provides the Spelthorne Personal Alarm Network (SPAN) alarm service on behalf of Spelthorne Borough Council.
SPAN (Spelthorne Personal Alarm Network) is an alarm system aimed to help older disabled or vulnerable people to live independently in their own homes. Individuals are linked to our Care Centre which can provide help 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. The Care Centre holds details of friends and/or family and will contact someone should the alarm be activated. They can also contact emergency services should this be required.
Spelthorne Personal Alarm Network application form
Who can benefit from SPAN?
Anyone who feels vulnerable in their own home can benefit from the service. Some of our clients include:
- older people who want to continue to manage at home independently but may be concerned about having a fall
- people who want to carry on gardening but are afraid they might fall or feel unwell
- a person going into hospital for an operation who will need an effective communication system when they come out
- an elderly person who needs the reassurance that someone will be there if they have a bogus caller or an attempted burglary and the police would be called
- a person with a terminal or degenerative illness who might be taken ill
- a person with no family or carers and if they were taken ill or were injured and unable to call for help, they would not be found
How does it work?
All you need is a power socket for the alarm base (roughly the size of a landline phone unit) to plug in to. A lightweight pendant is supplied with the unit which can be worn on a cord around the neck, on the wrist or clipped onto clothing. By pressing the button on the pendant, you will automatically make a telephone call to the care centre. This pendant can work from anywhere within an average sized house or garden. There is also a large red button on the alarm unit that will act in the same way and can be pressed if needed.
The units have a mobile sim in them, similar to a mobile phone so do not require a landline.
The Care Centre is staffed 24 hours a day by friendly efficient operators who are trained to get help for you straight away. If the individual is unable to speak when raising the alarm, the operator will still know who the caller is and raise the alarm immediately.
What do we ask from you?
To complete the online form, you will need to provide us with the following information:
- whether you have a telephone line or not
- the type of property you live in (house/bungalow/flat etc)
- brief details of any medical condition of which the Care Centre should be aware (ie epilepsy, diabetes, breathing difficulties, pacemaker, on blood thinners, dementia etc) so they can respond appropriately
- the name of your doctor
- the name, address and telephone number of your next of kin
- the names, addresses and telephone numbers (including any work or mobile phone numbers) of those people who would hold keys to your property. We would also ask you to please confirm the willingness of any key-holder to respond if necessary. Please make sure keys have been given to your key-holders before we install the alarm
We like to have a minimum of two key-holders, or one if a KeySafe is fitted to your property and we are aware of the combination. We are aware that some people have no friends, family or next of kin to assist, in which case the first point of contact will be the emergency services. If you do not have a key safe (metal number coded box drilled in to an external wall containing a key to your home) this can be arranged for you free of charge by referring yourself to the Spelthorne Handyperson scheme 01784 448607 or email: HP@spelthorne.gov.uk
Please advise us if your SPAN alarm is to be used in conjunction with answer phones, faxes or broadband, as a filter may be required.
Upon installation of the alarm, you will enter into an agreement with our partner Mole Valley District Council who will guarantee maintenance of the equipment.
A SPAN technician will visit you annually to provide information and advice and to also update any personal information we may hold on you. The Technician will double-check your equipment when they visit you. As part of your service contract, we request that you make a test call each month.
For further information on the service please visit https://molevalleylife.co.uk/independent