Assistance
alarms installed in homes of elderly people living alone
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Rotary
Club of Taravao Tahiti Iti president Bernadette Wasna and grateful alarm
recipient Hélène Lucas
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Dr
Henri Loquet, of the Rotary Club of Taravao Tahiti-Iti, found an elderly person
deceased in her bathroom four days after her fall. He then suggested installing
assistance alarms for the elderly in their homes.
The
device does not exist on the territory of French Polynesia, so Taravao
Tahiti-Iti Rotary decided to order ten alarm units from France (costing Central
Pacific Franc XPF 25 000 per unit), with the help of the Rotary Club of
Papeete-Tahiti. It was not easy to get them, but after several months of
investigations and with the permissions of the authorities, the devices finally
arrived.
Older
people are visited during the day (by families, carers and cleaners) but they
are left alone at night. The installation of these devices to alert relatives
in case of a fall is a way to help these people quickly when the consequences
can be dramatic. The difficulty to get up, to move, poor vision, sleep
disorders, urinary problems are a multitude of factors that will make the
elderly vulnerable when night falls.
One
of the first alarm beneficiaries, 93-year-old Hélène Lucas, was
offered the system and installation during a visit by Taravao Tahiti-Iti
president Bernadette Wasna and Rotarians Henri and Loana Loquet. After
explaining the necessity and usefulness of such an installation, tests were
performed. If she needs assistance, Hélène will only have to
activate the base unit buttons wisely placed in the busiest parts of her house,
plus there are a push button necklace and bracelet.
This
safety device can indeed save lives and since its inception, the club has
received additional demand, so Bernadette is considering another alarm order
after the buzz created on social networks, as the article received almost 800
likes when it was first published.
