Faire Telecare Service

A 24-hour-a-day service operated by the Customer Services Team on behalf of the Social and Community Services, providing:

• Reassurance for people living on their own
• Immediate response in an emergency
• Reassurance and support for carers

The Telecare Service provides an automatic link from the user's home to the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). The ARC is staffed around the clock by a team of officers who have been trained to handle calls efficiently, quickly summoning help when it is needed. You will always find they are friendly and ready to listen to you.

A high proportion of operators are Gaelic speakers and will converse with you in Gaelic where this is appropriate.

The equipment in the home is quite simple and consists of a main unit (a small box about the same size as a telephone receiver) and a small pendant which can be worn around the neck or on the wrist. The pendant can work from anywhere in the home. It is very important to remember to wear it so that you can make a call at any time. The main unit is plugged into your mains electricity supply. but has a battery back-up, so that it will continue to call for assistance, even during a power cut.

Press the red button on the pendant or main unit. After a few seconds, the officer will respond to your call and speak to you. The officer will already know from the computer screen who is calling and all the information relating to your circumstances, and will be able to talk with you. If in making a call you are unable to speak for any reason, the operator will alert a contact person or the emergency services without delay.

There is no need worry about using the system at any time during the day or night - it is there for your reassurance as much as for use in an emergency.

The Community Alarm Service is available for people who are at risk due to age, disability or other factors. If you think you could benefit from a Faire alarm and are contactable by phone, then Faire will be pleased to supply you with their service.

People who have benefited from the service include:

• Those who live alone or are regularly left alone.
• Any person who would have difficulty in leaving the house to call for assistance due to restricted mobility or illness.
• Those who live in an isolated location.
• It brings temporary respite for carers, in the knowledge help can be summoned quickly.
• Family on the mainland with peace of mind knowing their loved ones have the protection of the Faire service.
• Victims of domestic violence and persons who fear violence from a current or former partner.

Yes. There is a small charge set by the Comhairle, currently standing at £1.50 per week for people connected to the Telecare Service.  This is a weekly monitoring charge, as the equipment remains the property of Faire and we will uplift it when our service is no longer required.

Staff visiting will explain methods of payment  prior to your alarm being installed and most careline users are able to claim exemption from VAT by self-certification on the appropriate form.

Step 1

Contact the Faire Telecare Service by emailing faire@cne-siar.gov.uk or calling direct on 01851 701702 at any time of the day or night, or get a member of your family or home carer to make the approach for you.

Contact any Social Work Service throughout the Western Isles and they will pass a referral on.

If you are a hospital patient the hospital discharge process should ask if it is appropriate for you to have  a Faire Telecare alarm.

If you are being assessed for another Social Service you should be asked if you would benefit from a Faire Telecare alarm.

Step 2

A member of Faire staff will take some details from you and you will be contacted by the Telecare Technician who will make arrangements to come to see you.

It is helpful if you can supply relevant personal information, but please note that you need only supply as much medical and other confidential information as you wish.

You will be asked to name two contacts – family, friends or neighbours who live locally, are contactable by telephone in an emergency. These contacts are an essential part of the Telecare Alarm Service.

Step 3

Your application will be processed as quickly as possible and, in special situations, the installation will be given immediate priority. The simple installation process will be undertaken by a Telecare Technician and you will be shown how to use the system.  Your details will then become part of the Faire Telecare Service and you can seek assistance at any time of the day or night.  We are experienced at alerting the emergency services, NHS 24, community nursing and social services.

Step 4

You are now a user of the Telecare Service. Regular calls will be made to ensure your equipment is working properly. The Customer Service Officer will also call you up from time to time, and give you a chance to practice calling in.
For reassurance, you are also welcome to activate the alarm from time to time so that you can be certain everything is working as it should be.

You will also be offered a radio triggered smoke alarm which we will supply, install and maintain at no cost to you.

In the event of a smoke alarm activation it will raise a call through your Faire alarm to the Alarm Receiving Centre so that help can be summoned as quickly as possible and support given during a crisis.

Technology has advanced in recent years making available a whole range of solutions linked to home alarm units.  These range from bed and chair sensors, pressure mats, fall detectors, flood, gas, heat and smoke detectors to medication dispensers, property exit sensors and so on.

Assessment for the appropriateness and availability of these monitoring devices will be made by Faire Staff. They  will be happy to pass on your details to the relevant Support  Service for their attention.

Faire officers sit within Customer Services and can take overflow calls from Area offices when they are busy. Faire also operate as the out of hours contact point for local authority services and take out of hours enquiries from 5pm to 9am weekdays, weekends and Public Holidays.