Poppy Carephones

The Royal British Legion has introduced a new alarm system for ex-Service people and their dependants who would benefit by improving their quality of life and by making them safe. The system, which is called the Poppy Carephones operates round-the-clock and allows emergency call response and a monitoring facility. This system helps to protect and reassure the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable persons, allowing them to live independent lives.

The Poppy Carephones are designed to protect those in their own homes. It can be used to raise an alarm call from anywhere in the home by simply pressing a button. Calls are received at a call centre where it is answered by a highly trained operator who will talk to the person on the line and find out what the problem is. All of the operators have the ability to empathise and deliver a service full of reassurance and understanding. The Poppy Carephones system is available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

The Poppy Carephones alarm base unit (below) is simple to install it can be mounted on a wall or positioned on any flat surface. It needs no connection to a mains electricity supply, the only connection required is a landline telephone. The batteries in the unit are easy to change and they should last for a minimum of two years. Contact with the call centre can be made direct from the unit by pressing the red alarm button and speaking into the speaker/microphone on the face of the unit. Due to the powerful loudspeaker and sensitive microphone, hands free two-way speech can be established between the user and the call centre operator.

Poppy Carephones Alarm Base Unit

The other method of contacting the call centre is by pressing the red button on the radio alarm pendant which is supplied with every Poppy Carephone.

The Poppy Carephones pendant (below) can be worn round the neck like a necklace or it can be worn on the wrist like a watch or clipped onto clothing or a belt. The pendant can also be fitted with a special adaptor for those who have difficulty pressing the button such as those with arthritis. All these accessories are supplied and within minutes the wearer can change the pendant so it is comfortable for them to wear and use. The pendant is fully waterproof. The battery in the pendant has a life of approximately five years, it can be changed quickly without having to return the pendant to the manufacturer.

Poppy Carephone Pendant including Accessories

The Poppy Carephones system can also provide additional peace of mind and reassurance by monitoring a wide range of events; these are not provided as part of The Royal British Legion package. These events could include detectors for carbon monoxide, falls, floods, temperature and smoke. It can also provide 24 hour inactivity and intruder monitoring for a greater level of both personal and home reassurance.

The Carephones equipment is supplied by Cirrus Communications Systems and they also provide the monitoring of the system from their call centre. They will also take over the monitoring of the old system that uses equipment supplied by Tunstall Telecom Limited. Both the new Poppy Carephones and the old alarm systems are compatible and there is no need for changing the equipment.

The ex-Service people and their dependants who would benefit from the Poppy Carephones are those who are old, infirm or disabled; or those individuals who have been discharged from hospital and require additional support and assistance at home; or those who subject to domestic violence, racial harassment, repeat victimisation and distraction burglary; or those living in high crime areas; or those of any age living alone.

For help with a Poppy Carephone in Derbyshire contact Poppy Support in Derbyshire.