There is one constant in life and that is we all get older.
Its something that happens to us all eventually.
We all hope that when we get to this stage in our lives we will have family support and people around us.
Yet the truth is sadly for some there isn’t people available to support them.
It’s because of this I am happy to get behind the Royal Voluntary Service, “Let’s end going home alone” campaign.
The RVS realise that far to many older people are having to struggle on their own when they get home from a stay in hospital.
So the ” Let’s end going home alone” campaign is calling for home to hospital support for every older person who needs it, so that no one has to go home alone. With a little help from a caring volunteer older people won’t have to struggle on alone. Being alone can lead to loneliness, not eating well, accidents and all too often readmission back to hospital.
I think the campaign is fantastic, I know I would have hated for my grandparents to have to go home alone.
If you think you could be a volunteer or help raise awarness for this campaign please check out the Royal Voluntary Service website and learn more.
My girls are growing up and as much as I don’t like it I am finding it to be something I am having to accept.
Yet with their older years I am also finding that they want to be out and about more without me or the dad hanging around. While I am happy that they are social and living life I do worry constantly about their safety making sure they have a fully charged phone before they leave and always knowing the general idea of their plans.
Even though I still worry so when I received an email regarding a new safety app I was rather excited.
PanicMe is an easy to use app which turns your smartphone into a personal safety device. It is something that you can download to your own and your child’s phone quite easily.
How it Works
Developed in consultation with local police forces, PanicMe allows you to create a personalised response network of your friends and family who will be contacted when a panic alert is triggered. A traffic light system (red, amber, green) offers three panic options depending on the urgency of the event and up to 30 contacts from your phone can be selected for each panic option.
Red Alert: high risk situation. You are in serious trouble and danger is imminent. You may be in fear of being attacked, abducted or seriously ill and urgent assistance is required.
Amber Alert: medium risk situation. You are in serious trouble and may come to harm if help doesn’t come within half an hour to an hour.
Green Alert: low risk situation. You may be lost, separated from your group or your car has broken down and you require help within an hour or two.
The app features GPRS tracking (TrackMe) which shows your panic response network your exact location and also indicates the location of your chosen contacts making it easy to identify the nearest potential responders. Data capture is activated once an alert has been triggered logging your location as well as any available Bluetooth connections.
When an alarm is raised, contacts are notified by push messages to their own smartphone at regular intervals, which vary depending on the chosen panic option, until the alarm is deactivated.
David Lindley QPM, former Deputy Chief Constable commented: ‘‘There may be any number of reasons and circumstances why people feel afraid or vulnerable. Apps like PanicMe offer a simple and practical way to help anyone who feels unsafe or vulnerable. Families and friends can be confident that they will be quickly contacted if the one they love feels vulnerable or needs help.”
The basic version of the app, PanicMe Lite, is free to download and includes the green panic option only. The full version, PanicMe Pro, includes all features including TrackMe and costs £14.99 annually. Both apps are available for iPhone, Android and Windows smartphones. For more information visit www.panicme.com or like us on Facebook
I am rather excited about this app, it will allow me to feel a little more confident of my girls safety when they are out and about. It works for them as like most teenagers they are never without their smart phones.
Well worth taking a look at, isn’t it. It will certainly help bring me a little more peace of mind.
Rebel with kindness 