By the Big on Health editorial team, Ideas in Medicine Ltd.

This is not medical, legal or financial advice. Big on Health is a UK review site. For health worries, speak to the GP, pharmacist or NHS 111. If someone has fallen and may be badly hurt, or is in immediate danger, call 999.

Many families start thinking about a personal alarm after a near miss: a parent who fell and could not reach the phone, or who now lives alone and does not answer when you call. An alarm will not stop a fall, but it can mean help is called sooner. This page is for families in the UK with an older parent at home. It explains what personal alarms and telecare usually mean, when an alarm tends to help, what the landline switchover means for older alarms, how to get one through the council or buy one yourself, and the questions worth asking before you sign up. We checked every source on 26 Oct 2026.

Personal alarms and telecare, in plain English

The NHS says personal alarms and monitoring systems can alert call centres or carers if someone has a problem at home or outside, such as a fall, and that you may hear this called telecare. Age UK describes telecare as devices that use technology to help people live more independently and safely at home. Some are meant to prevent problems, such as a sensor that sends an alert if the gas is left on. Others get help to someone in an emergency, such as a personal alarm used after a fall.

The NHS lists these types of personal alarm:

• Basic alarms, which make a loud noise to alert people nearby.
• Alarms that alert a family member’s pager or phone.
• Monitored alarms, which alert a 24-hour monitoring service that something is wrong.
• Fall detectors, built into the alarm or worn as a separate device.
• GPS tracking alarms, which let family and carers know where the person is.

Alarms can be carried or worn, for example on the wrist or around the neck, or they can be a button or pull cord fixed in the home. Age UK says a worn pendant or bracelet usually connects to a call centre where someone can talk to the person and arrange help, and that an automatic fall detector can alert a response centre without the person needing to press a button.

Telecare can also include sensors around the home. The NHS says these can detect movement, doors opening, room temperature, flooding, incontinence, smoke or gas, and appliances left on, and then send alerts to family, carers or a monitoring service. Some systems link to a monitoring centre; others are “smart” systems that send updates straight to family.

Telehealth is different. Age UK explains that telehealth devices help people with long-term conditions take readings at home, such as blood pressure, which are sent to a healthcare professional. That is arranged through the GP or community nurse, not bought as an alarm.

When an alarm tends to help

An alarm is most useful when someone might need help and could not otherwise call for it. Families often consider one when a parent:

• Lives alone, or is alone for long stretches, for example while family are at work.
• Has had a fall, or is worried about falling. The NHS falls guidance says that if you have fallen and do not feel able to get up, you should use a phone or personal alarm to get help if you can reach one, and otherwise shout or bang on a wall or the floor to get someone’s attention.
• Has become unsteady at night, when trips to the bathroom happen in the dark. Age UK describes bed or mattress sensors that can alert someone if a person has been out of bed for a while during the night.
• Goes out alone and you worry about them getting lost or unwell. The NHS lists GPS tracking alarms for this, though it is worth talking openly with your parent about how location tracking feels to them.
• Has just come home from hospital and is less steady than before. See Care after a hospital stay.

An alarm only helps if it is worn and used. Age UK says that if you are a carer, it is important to make sure the person you care for is comfortable and confident using the product. If your parent refuses to wear a pendant, a wrist version, a fall detector or a pull cord in key rooms may suit them better. A conversation first usually works better than a surprise.

An alarm is not a substitute for care. It gets help called after something goes wrong; it does not help someone wash, dress, eat or take medicines. If those tasks are getting harder, see Signs a parent needs help at home and Finding a private carer in the UK.

Key safes: often the missing piece

A monitored alarm can call for help, but someone still has to get through the door. The NHS describes a key safe as a small lockable box, fixed to an outside wall and opened with a code you choose, so that carers, family or the emergency services can get in if the person cannot reach the door. The NHS says some key safes are police-approved, and that more expensive ones work the same way as cheaper ones but are stronger and heavier. If you buy a monitored alarm, ask the provider how it will share the key safe code with responders, and keep the code private.

The digital landline switchover: check older alarms

This matters for many families right now. GOV.UK says the old analogue landline network is being switched off by January 2027, and that other devices relying on it, including alarm systems and telecare devices, will need upgrading. Age UK says the switchover may affect telecare devices and personal alarms.

The NHS warns that an analogue telecare alarm may not work properly if the home has a digital landline instead of an analogue one, and suggests considering a digital alarm if you are unsure. GOV.UK says that anyone with telecare or an alarm connected to the phone line should contact the phone provider listed on their bill, and that providers are offering extra support to telecare users during the move, including free engineering visits and battery back-ups where needed. If you are buying a new alarm, GOV.UK says to check with the provider that it works with digital phone lines.

Getting an alarm through the council

The NHS says some councils provide monitoring services, usually basic systems, and that you should contact adult social services to ask. If they do, they will arrange a home assessment. Age UK says the first step is to ask the council for a care needs assessment, which looks at whether telecare would help and whether other care services would too. Councils may charge for telecare, but Age UK says a financial assessment will decide whether you are entitled to help with the cost.

The NHS also says the council offers a free home assessment, usually by an occupational therapist, for equipment and adaptations if someone is struggling with everyday tasks or worried about falling. It can be worth asking for both at once. See A carer’s assessment in the UK for support for you as the family carer. In Scotland, mygov.scot says the council’s social work team arranges a care needs assessment.

Buying an alarm privately

The NHS says basic alarms can be fairly cheap, but monitored alarms and GPS systems cost more, and that monitored telecare usually has an installation cost followed by a monthly charge. It suggests the Telecare Services Association for finding monitored providers. Age UK suggests checking benefits first, as Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit can help pay for telecare. See Attendance Allowance.

Example first-year cost (one UK provider’s published prices)

To compare alarms, add the setup fee to twelve months of the monthly charge. The figures below are from Taking Care’s own website, ex VAT, checked 27 Oct 2026. Other providers will differ. This is not an Ad and there is no affiliate link here.

Taking Care says its prices exclude VAT, that all its alarms come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and that there are no long-term contracts. It also lists other GPS and watch-style alarms. If the person does not qualify for VAT relief (see below), VAT is added to these prices. Confirm live prices before you buy.

• Digital, not analogue: check the alarm works without an analogue landline. Taking Care says its alarms use a mobile SIM.
• Fall detection? Decide whether your parent needs an alarm that can raise a fall alert automatically, or whether a button is enough.
• Who answers the call: a 24-hour monitoring centre, or only family? Ask who they contact, and in what order.

Source: Taking Care: personal alarms, prices from Taking Care’s site, checked 27 Oct 2026.

GOV.UK says that if someone is disabled or has a long-term illness, they will not be charged VAT on products designed or adapted for their own personal or domestic use, and it lists certain types of alarms as an example. The person has to qualify, and GOV.UK says you will need to confirm this in writing; the supplier may give you a form. GOV.UK says you do not qualify if you are elderly but not disabled.

Questions to ask before you sign up

These questions draw on the NHS and Age UK checklists. Write the answers down so you can compare providers.

• Is it digital? Does it work without an analogue landline, and what happens in a power cut or if the mobile signal is weak?
• Who answers? Does an alert go to family only, or to a 24-hour monitoring centre? Who do they call, and in what order?
• Is fall detection included, and what happens if it is set off by mistake?
• Does it work in the garden or outside the home?
• Will my parent actually wear it? Is it comfortable, waterproof for the shower, and easy to press?
• What does it really cost? Installation, monthly fee, minimum contract, cancellation terms, and whether the price is quoted with or without VAT.
• Is there a guarantee and a returns policy if it does not suit? Age UK also suggests reading customer reviews.
• Will someone come back to check it works, and how often should it be tested?
• How do responders get in? Is a key safe needed, and who holds the code?

Be wary of pressure to sign up on the spot. A reputable provider will give you time to talk it over with your parent and the rest of the family.

Making the home safer alongside an alarm

An alarm works best alongside simple changes that reduce the chance of a fall in the first place, such as good lighting, clear floors and well-fitting footwear. See Preventing falls at home and Mobility equipment at home. If the stairs are becoming hard, see Stairlifts at home.

See also our winter checklist for caring for an older parent.

If a parent needs more than an alarm

Sometimes an alarm is a sign that more help is needed: someone to call in each morning, help with meals, or a carer who stays overnight or lives in. See Overnight care at home and Live-in care in the UK.

When to get urgent help

• Call 999 if, as the NHS advises, someone has fallen and may have injured their head, back, neck or hip, or cannot get up, or if anyone is in immediate danger. The NHS says not to try to lift them yourself.
• NHS 111 if someone has fallen and may be in pain, injured or unwell, or you are worried and it is not an emergency.
• The GP after a fall, or if you are worried about balance or mobility. The NHS says the GP may refer to a specialist falls service, which can include strength and balance training, a medicines review and checking the home is safe.

Related guides

Sources

All checked on 26 Oct 2026.

• NHS: Personal alarms, monitoring systems (telecare) and key safes
• NHS: Home adaptations
• NHS: Falls
• Age UK: What are telecare and telehealth services?
• GOV.UK: Moving landlines to digital technologies
• GOV.UK: VAT relief for disabled people
• mygov.scot: Care equipment and changes to your home

This page is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Check what your local council offers, and follow the advice of the GP or occupational therapist who knows the person.

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