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Telecare · Comparison Guide · Elderly Safety
If you've started looking into personal alarms for an elderly parent, you'll have noticed something quickly: almost every source comparing them is also trying to sell you one.
That's not a criticism — these are real companies providing a genuinely useful service — but it makes it hard to get a straight answer about what actually differs between the options, what things really cost, and, just as importantly, what a personal alarm can't do.
This guide is an independent comparison. It covers the main types available in the UK, what they actually cost, how to check whether your council might provide one, and — because this matters and rarely gets said plainly — what these devices are and aren't built for.
The main types of personal alarm
Despite the range of brands, most personal alarms fall into three core categories. Understanding the difference matters more than comparing individual products.
The original and still most common type: a button worn around the neck or wrist that connects to a base unit plugged in at home. Press it, and it calls a 24-hour monitoring centre, where a real person talks to your parent through the base unit and arranges help — contacting a neighbour, a family member, or emergency services if needed. These work well within and near the home but typically have a limited range — usually the house and garden, not much further.
A step up from the basic pendant. These use motion sensors to detect the specific pattern of a fall and can raise an alert automatically, even if your parent is unconscious or unable to press the button. This matters for anyone at real risk of falling — a fall that knocks someone out is exactly the situation where a manual button is least useful.
These work outside the home too, using mobile network connectivity rather than relying on a home base unit. If your parent is still out and about — shopping, walking, visiting friends — this type extends coverage beyond the house. They're generally the most expensive category, reflecting the added technology.
One practical note that's easy to miss: some older alarm models connect through a traditional analogue phone line, and the UK's ongoing switch to digital landlines (with a final deadline of January 2027) means some older devices may need checking for compatibility. We've covered this in more detail in our guide to monitoring elderly parents remotely.
What personal alarms actually cost in the UK
Prices vary by provider and change over time, but here's the general shape of the market, based on typical costs across major UK providers:
| Type | Setup cost | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pendant alarm (home-based) | £30–50 | £15–20 |
| Fall detector | £30–50 | £19–27 |
| GPS / anywhere alarm | £30–50 | £20–30 |
Most providers require a setup fee alongside the ongoing subscription, and some also sell the pendant itself outright rather than renting it as part of the package — it's worth checking which model applies before signing up, since the total cost over a year or two can differ meaningfully between the two.
A safety note worth knowing
In late 2025, Careline365 recalled its Q20 GPS Pendant Alarm after identifying a strangulation risk — the lanyard didn't include a quick-release safety break, which is a standard safety feature on most personal alarm lanyards. Anyone with this specific model should have been contacted directly by Careline365, but if your parent has an older pendant alarm of any brand, it's worth checking that the lanyard has a quick-release mechanism — this is a genuinely important safety feature, not a minor detail.
Can you get a personal alarm for free?
Sometimes, yes — though it isn't guaranteed everywhere, and it depends on your parent's local authority and individual circumstances.
If a free or subsidised option isn't available in your parent's area, private providers remain the fallback — the pricing above applies to that route.
How to choose between providers
Rather than ranking specific companies, here are the things genuinely worth checking, regardless of which provider you're considering:
- Is the monitoring centre based in the UK and available 24/7? Most reputable providers are, but it's worth confirming rather than assuming — response quality and speed vary.
- What do independent reviews actually say? Trustpilot and similar review platforms give a more honest picture than a provider's own testimonials page, particularly for how the company handles things when something goes wrong, not just when everything works smoothly.
- Is the device waterproof, and to what standard? Falls in the bathroom are common, and a device that has to come off before a shower isn't protecting anyone during the time it's off.
- Does the lanyard include a quick-release safety break? Given the recent recall mentioned above, this is worth asking directly if it isn't stated clearly on the product page.
- Is there a minimum contract length, and what's the cancellation process? Some providers require 12-month commitments; others are month-to-month. If your parent's needs might change, flexibility is worth paying attention to.
What personal alarms can't do
This is the part that's genuinely useful to know before you buy, and it's the part that companies selling these devices have less reason to emphasise.
A personal alarm is built to respond to a crisis: a fall, a medical emergency, a moment when your parent presses the button because something has gone wrong right now. It does that job well, and for many families it's a genuinely important piece of the picture.
What it doesn't do is tell you anything about the days when nothing goes wrong. It doesn't know that your mum's been more tired than usual for the past week, or that she's mentioned a pain in her side twice now, or that she's been eating less. It doesn't prepare anything for her next GP appointment. It doesn't notice that her mood has quietly shifted over the past month. It isn't designed to — that's simply not the problem it was built to solve.
How Hea fits alongside a personal alarm
Hea isn't a replacement for a personal alarm, and it isn't trying to be — if your parent is at risk of a fall or a sudden medical event, a proper emergency response system is the right tool for that specific risk.
What Hea does is fill the gap a personal alarm was never built to cover. Each morning, it checks in with your parent through WhatsApp — the app already on their phone — with a short, friendly question about how they're feeling, their sleep, their mood, whether they've taken their medications. You get a quiet weekly picture of how things have actually been, and before a GP appointment, Hea puts together a summary so nothing gets lost in a short consultation.
Think of it as the everyday layer sitting alongside the emergency layer. The alarm is there for the moment something goes wrong. Hea is there for the ordinary days in between — which, most of the time, is where the real picture of how your parent is doing actually lives.
The everyday layer, alongside the emergency layer
Hea checks in each morning through WhatsApp and sends you a quiet weekly picture — the part a personal alarm was never built to cover.
See how Hea worksFrequently asked questions
What's the difference between a pendant alarm and a fall detector?
A basic pendant alarm requires your parent to press a button to call for help. A fall detector adds motion sensors that can identify the specific pattern of a fall and raise an alert automatically, even if your parent can't press the button themselves — useful if there's a real risk of losing consciousness or being unable to reach the device after a fall.
Can I get a free personal alarm for my parent through the council?
Sometimes, depending on your parent's local authority and their assessed needs and finances. Contact the local authority adult social care team and request a care needs assessment — this is a legal right under the Care Act 2014, and it's the way to find out what's available in your specific area.
Do personal alarms work outside the home?
It depends on the type. Basic pendant alarms connected to a home base unit generally only work within range of the house — usually the home and immediate garden. GPS or "anywhere" alarms use mobile network connectivity and are designed to work wherever there's signal, making them a better fit for a parent who's still out and about regularly.
What can't a personal alarm do?
It's built to respond to emergencies — a fall, a medical crisis, a moment when something has gone wrong. It isn't built to tell you how your parent has been feeling generally, whether their mood has changed, or whether something's shifted gradually over recent weeks. That's a different kind of information, and it requires a different kind of tool.
Sources
- Which?, How to buy the best personal alarm — which.co.uk
- Homecare.co.uk, Telecare for the elderly: how to choose a personal alarm
- Age UK, Personal Alarm Service for the elderly — ageuk.org.uk
- Care Act 2014 — legislation.gov.uk
- GOV.UK, Care needs assessment — gov.uk/apply-needs-assessment-social-services
- GOV.UK, Moving landlines to digital technologies — gov.uk/guidance/moving-landlines-to-digital-technologies
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