Edition: November 2024
Community Link is a vital support service from the Council. The service enables residents to live independently by providing affordable access to a range of assistive technology.
One of our most popular products is the SEVEN Digital Lifeline (pictured). The unit sits unobtrusively in the home and is paired with a discrete pendant or wrist worn trigger. Users can summon emergency assistance at the touch of a button, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
How it works
The pendant or watch acts as your personal alarm. Simply push the button on either your pendant, wrist worn trigger, or the unit itself, to be connected to our 24 hour alarm receiving centre which is staffed by professionally trained operators.
The SEVEN package
The product features a 300 metre+ range, up to 40 hours of battery backup in the event of mains power outage, a multi-provider network and a secondary SIM to ensure a reliable service. The water-resistant pendant can be worn in the bath or shower.
Pair with a range of products
It can also be paired with other devices in the Community Link suite to suit user needs, such as a fall detector, a property exit sensor or a wearable GPS device offering emergency assistance when you are out and about.
How much does it cost?
The SEVEN Digital Lifeline unit is available to trial for eight weeks at no cost, and then for £22.50 per month. There are no upfront equipment costs, installation fees, or long-term contracts and the price includes maintenance and a replacement backup battery when it runs low.
Extra safety measures
We also combine alarm installation with a free smoke detector from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, which we link to the alarm receiving centre.
Our Virtual Reality Service
With the ability to stimulate cognitive skills, reduce anxiety or depression, and provide a welcome distraction from pain, VR has been shown to reduce the need for medication following sessions for some users.
In VR sessions a comfortable headset allows participants to explore beautiful natural landscapes, see historical landmarks, enjoy a concert, visit familiar National Trust properties and much more.
VR gives residents who can't usually get involved with group activities, or those receiving care at home the opportunity to enjoy the outside world again.
We offer individual or group sessions
In a group setting each VR experience is also shown on a screen. This allows everyone to participate throughout, even when they are not wearing the headset. The sessions offer families and carers a way to connect and share experiences.
New devices spark imagination
Interactive pets
Recent additions to our range of technology are interactive pets. They can help combat anxiety and loneliness as they respond to touch with sound and movement in a lifelike way.
Our Community Link team recently trialled their first robotic pet cat, which they arranged for a client living with dementia who had kept cats in the past.
A bespoke service
Designed to bring comfort, these interactive pets are ideal for people living with a number of conditions including dementia as well as autism in some children. They can also be a great alternative to real emotional support animals in group settings such as care homes as the pets are engaging and stimulating as well as calming.
Contact Community Link
For more information on our full range of assistive technology, please visit our website. You can also call the team on 01403 215230 or email community.link@horsham.gov.uk
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