Aberdeenshire Scheme To Provide Round-The-Clock Care

A PILOT scheme to provide round-the-clock care for elderly and vulnerable people in Aberdeenshire could be launched if it wins the approval of councillors.

The comprehensive out-of-hours service would provide expert assistance to elderly people who activate an emergency alarm in their home.

Councillors will decide whether to approve a six-month trial of the scheme, at a meeting of the social work and housing committee on Thursday.

The £220,000 pilot scheme being proposed would be an extension of the community alarm scheme. At the moment pensioners only have access to community alarms – either fitted to their homes or carried on their person – if they can name three people who can respond to an emergency when the alarm is raised.

When the alarm is activated a call-centre employee will speak to the person directly or contact one of their three nominated persons.

A report to go in front of councillors states: “The service does not provide a comprehensive response to the growing number of very frail or vulnerable older people living in the community.”

The local authority hopes to establish a mobile team of trained carers to be on duty between 5pm and 9am on weekdays and 24 hours at weekends and public holidays. They would be expected to respond to a community alarm within half an hour.

If approved the new scheme will be piloted at Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Mintlaw, Maud and surrounding areas before being expanded to the rest of Aberdeenshire.

It is hoped that a permanent system of on-call carers will prevent elderly people from having to go to hospital or a residential care home unless absolutely necessary.

A Help the Aged spokes-man said: “What we want to do is try and keep people in their own homes for as long as possible.

“Most of the older people I’ve spoken to feel much more comfortable, safer and more independent.

“If there is an option of a professional available at short notice and in the vicinity that has got to be a good thing.”