Emergency call detectors for the home - safety within your own four walls

Are you or a loved one living alone at home? It's easy to feel insecure. What happens in the event of a fall or sudden fainting spell? Is a telephone perhaps not always within reach? Perhaps a telephone call is no longer possible at all. How can help be summoned quickly in an acute emergency? An emergency call detector for the home offers a convenient solution to this problem. It not only creates a feeling of security, but also contributes highly efficiently to organising help quickly and according to the situation in an emergency.

A home emergency call is essentially an electronic alarm system that is connected to the telephone line at home. It consists of a base station and a trigger with a range of up to 50 metres. The trigger is a radio transmitter that can be conveniently worn on a strap around the neck or as a wristband. In the event of an emergency, this radio transmitter is always at hand so that a simple emergency signal can be emitted at the touch of a button. The emergency signal in the home telephone network always has priority, which is why existing connections are interrupted at the same time in case of doubt. Since the transmitter is waterproof, it can also be worn in the shower or even in the bathtub without any problems. The emergency call detector for the home is therefore at hand day and night. This means that help in an acute emergency is always just a touch of a button away.

Who exactly is informed in the event of an emergency can be determined in advance. As a rule, an emergency call centre is alerted, which is staffed around the clock and where the personal data of the person in need of help is stored. This includes contact details of the respective person and close relatives, information on the respective state of health and medication plans. Individually agreed help plans can also be directly viewed in the emergency call centre and set in motion in case of an acute situation. When the alarm is triggered, the staff member of the emergency call centre immediately tries to contact the person in an emergency. This is done via the base station, which is equipped with a hands-free device. Afterwards, immediate measures appropriate to the situation are initiated. Depending on the situation, relatives, the rescue service or an emergency doctor are then notified.

In addition to the direct connection to an emergency call centre, there is also the possibility that certain self-defined target numbers are automatically contacted when the home emergency call is activated. In this way, for example, relatives can be informed immediately. In a life-threatening emergency, however, there is a risk of delaying adequate help. Therefore, it is important to consider in advance exactly which function the home emergency call should fulfil in an emergency and which emergency situations are realistic.

The offer of a home emergency call is particularly aimed at older people living in their home who are at increased risk of falling. A fellow resident who, for various reasons, is unable to act quickly and correctly in an emergency situation is also a sensible reason for installing a home emergency alarm. With increasing age, muscle strength and coordination skills steadily decrease. As a result, an unsteady gait occurs and falls become more frequent. Whether slipping on a wet tile or tripping over the edge of a carpet, falls are not uncommon and unfortunately often have serious consequences, because the reflexes that intercept a fall in young and healthy people no longer function as quickly. This can lead to a situation in which the person who has fallen cannot reach a telephone.

Various chronic diseases can also explicitly increase the risk of a sudden emergency situation in the home. For example, poorly controlled diabetes, a past heart attack, epilepsy or frequent circulatory problems are clear indicators that medical emergencies are becoming more likely. With a radio transmitter directly on the body, an emergency signal is quickly sent as soon as the first signs of distress become apparent. The emergency call centre can then immediately take care of organising the necessary medical care.

Depending on the provider of the home emergency call system, you can add different additional services to the so-called basic cover, which is contractually defined. They allow the assistance to be individually adapted to each person, their home environment and their respective medical history and needs. Such additional services are, for example:

• Deposit of the house key
• Special emergency buttons on the walls
• Fall detectors
• Motion detectors
• Control calls
• Medication alarm clock
• Visiting service
• Combination with outpatient care services

The contractually agreed services are billed monthly, with the basic services usually costing around 25 euros. If you have a care degree, they are usually covered by the care insurance after a separate application. Additional services cost extra and must be paid for privately in most cases.

A home emergency call is classically offered by common associations such as the Johanniter, Malteser or Diakonie. These associations have the necessary professional competence to react appropriately in emergency situations and can fall back on an almost nationwide network of specialists and helpers as well as the necessary infrastructure. Often, the offer can be combined with the daily care services, so that a known contact person is directly available. In addition to the associations, however, a growing number of private providers also offer a home emergency call system. In most cases, these solutions are technically more innovative and impress with far-reaching and sophisticated additional offers. However, it is important to check the qualifications of the staff at the emergency call centre and whether there are any gaps in the coverage in your region. Of course, the basic services of private providers can also be covered by long-term care insurance.

People who have a care degree and are therefore registered with the care insurance as needing care can apply for a home emergency call as a technical care aid at the responsible care insurance fund. The medical service will then check whether the requirements for approval are met. They are laid down in the guidelines of the GKV-Spitzenverband and can be summarised in the following striking points:

• The person concerned is alone at home at least some of the time and, due to the respective state of health, the occurrence of an emergency situation is to be expected at any time.
• A home emergency call could defuse the potential emergency situation, as it cannot be expected that an emergency call can be made by telephone.
• The person with an increased emergency risk lives together with a person who is also unable to make an emergency call independently.

If approved, the long-term care insurance fund pays the ongoing monthly costs of 25.50 euros. The costs are then billed directly to the chosen provider, so you no longer have to worry about this. Costs that exceed this amount must be paid by you. This offer by the long-term care insurance fund has only been in effect since 1 September 2021 and many people are not yet aware of it. If you have a very low income, you can also apply to the social welfare office to have the costs covered.

A home emergency call ensures rapid care in the event of an emergency within your own four walls. This strengthens independence at home and provides security so that relatives also have less to worry about. They are also relieved by an emergency call point for home, as part of the responsibility can be placed in competent hands. If a care degree is available, the care insurance can cover the basic costs for a home emergency call. However, any additional services, which can be selected individually, must be paid for by the insured person. With these additional services, the basic offer can be usefully supplemented and the individual risk situation of the respective person can be addressed.