Fears for city elderly over alarm charge

Social affairs correspondent

Monday 8 October 2012

Elderly people in Glasgow are to be charged for alarms that help them stay longer in their own homes.

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Stephen Naysmith

The change has led to warnings that older people will give up the alarms, leaving them at greater risk from falls or health emergencies.

The community alarm telecare service, free since its introduction a decade ago, is run by the city council's arms-length company Cordia, which currently gives more than 13,700 elderly and vulnerable residents alarms.

The alarms range from neck pendants to home alarm units, smoke detectors and alarms that alert care services to a lack of movement.They are available to people over 75 who live alone and the system operates 24 hours, 365 days a year.Letters went out to all those receiving the service at the end of last week, warning charges of more than £150 a year will be introduced from November 5.In other councils areas similar charges have led to a significant number of residents giving up the service.Housing associations in the city have been warned Glasgow also expects this to happen. In a briefing note, the council's principal officer for adult community services Michael Gillespie warned associations: "Where current service users express their wish to withdraw from the service as a result of this charge, their position will be noted and they will not receive an invoice at the beginning of December. "Their access to the service will continue until a review is carried out in early 2013 on how to manage these withdrawals based on the levels of service users who have chosen to withdraw."The charge comes as debate rages over the sustainability of free services such as prescriptions, bus passes and university tuition. Labour has questioned the SNP's ability to continue such policies, saying they comes at the expense of other services.A spokesman for the charity Age Scotland said the expectation that people would give up alarm services was a major worry, adding: "People are not giving up these services because it is a luxury. We've seen people giving up gardening services when charges are raised, but this is different. Having to give up something your life may depend on is extremely concerning."The council-tax freeze has been beneficial for some older people and those on low or fixed incomes. But because councils are cutting back on services people who might be benefiting are actually losing out."A spokesman for Glasgow City Council described the charges as modest and said people on low incomes might be eligible to have some or all of the cost waived. He said: "Most other councils in Scotland have already had some form of charge for their community alarm systems for a number of years."Glasgow did approve a policy to introduce charges in April 2008, but we have been able to hold off from applying those charges until now."However, due to the on-going financial pressures faced by the council, we now have to look to service users to make a contribution."

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Fears for city elderly over alarm charge

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