Pendant Alarms and Fall Detectors Explained for Older People

In short: A pendant alarm is a worn button that raises an alert at a response centre or with chosen contacts, and the main choice is whether it is monitored around the clock. Some councils provide telecare after an assessment, and if you buy privately, the NHS and Age UK advise checking features, reviews, guarantees and digital phone line compatibility.

What a pendant alarm is and how it works

A pendant alarm is a button worn on the neck or wrist that raises an alert when pressed, so the wearer can get help without reaching a phone. It is one kind of personal alarm, and personal alarms sit within what is known as telecare. The NHS describes telecare as personal alarms and monitoring systems that can alert call centres or carers if you have a problem, for example after a fall.

Age UK describes a personal alarm as a pendant or bracelet that connects you to a call centre. Age UK says a response centre will contact a person you have chosen, or the emergency services. Alarms can also be fixed in the home, as a button or pull cord.

An alarm helps once something has happened, and it does not prevent the fall. Our guide on what to do after a fall explains the steps to take, and why every fall should be raised with a GP.

Types of alarm: pendant, wrist, fall detector and GPS

The NHS lists five main kinds of personal alarm: basic, relay, monitored, fall detectors and GPS tracking alarms. Each answers a different need, and some products combine them.

• Basic alarms sound a loud alarm to attract people nearby. They only help if someone is within earshot.
• Relay alarms send an alert to a family member’s phone or pager.
• Monitored alarms connect to a service that watches for alerts around the clock.
• Fall detectors are built into a personal alarm or sold as a separate device. Age UK describes an automatic fall detector as a device that senses a fall and alerts a response centre without you pressing a button.
• GPS tracking alarms let family and carers see where the wearer is, which the NHS says helps if someone wanders off.

Worn on the neck or wrist

The NHS says alarms can be worn on the wrist or neck. The right choice is often personal: the best device is the one the person will actually wear all day, including in the bath or shower, and at night. Ask whoever supplies it about water resistance rather than assuming.

Other sensors that can sit alongside an alarm

Age UK lists other telecare that can support safety at home: bed and floor sensors, for example a pressure mat that alerts if someone has been out of bed too long at night, and activity sensors that detect lack of movement or turn on lights when someone gets up. The NHS adds that sensors can detect doors opening, flooding, smoke, gas, room temperature and appliances left on. Alerts go to a response centre or a chosen contact. Our guide to night lights and safe bedrooms covers the lighting side of night-time safety.

Automatic detection

An automatic fall detector may matter for someone who might be unable to press a button. Because we could not verify from the official pages how reliably any detector senses a fall, ask the supplier exactly how it works and what it will not detect.

Monitored or unmonitored: the difference that matters most

A monitored alarm is answered by a response centre at any hour, while an unmonitored one only alerts people you have chosen or anyone within earshot. The choice depends on who is available to respond and how quickly.

Age UK says a pendant or wristband alarm can connect you to a 24-hour response centre, which will contact a chosen person or the emergency services. By contrast, a relay alarm sends the alert to a family member’s phone, which only works if they see it and can get there.

Questions that help you decide:

• Does the person live alone, and for how long might they be unobserved?
• Is there a nearby key holder who can respond, or should the centre have access to a key safe?
• Would a relative get alerts at work, at night or while travelling?
• Does the person understand what the button is for, and will they press it?

The NHS also explains that a key safe, a locked box fixed to an outside wall with a code you set, lets carers, family or emergency services in if you cannot reach the door. It suits an alarm user, but fitting and code security are worth planning. The NHS says stronger models cost more and some are police-approved.

Council telecare and community alarm schemes

Some councils in England provide a pendant alarm or other telecare, and the way in is to contact adult social care and ask. GOV.UK says some local authorities provide telecare services, and if yours does, it will arrange a home assessment.

Age UK says you can ask your council for a care needs assessment, which considers whether telecare would help and whether other services would. Councils may provide devices but you may be charged, and a financial assessment decides whether you get help with cost. The NHS describes council systems as usually basic. The official pages do not state prices, so do not assume a scheme is free until the council confirms it in writing.

Practical steps:

1. Contact the adult social care team of your local council and ask whether it provides telecare.
2. Ask whether an assessment is needed, how long it takes and what any charge would be.
3. Ask what happens when the alarm is triggered, and who is contacted.
4. Ask about the digital switchover, covered below.

Our care needs assessment guide explains how to prepare, and free equipment from the council and NHS covers other items a council or NHS service may provide.

What to look for when buying a pendant alarm privately

Check the features against the person’s needs, then check the supplier, the contract and the phone line. Age UK and the NHS give a short checklist that is easy to follow.

• Comfort and use: the NHS says to check that the person is comfortable using the device and that it has the features needed.
• Reviews, guarantee and returns: look for good reviews, a guarantee and a return option, and compare prices from several suppliers.
• Digital phone lines: avoid analogue devices, and choose a digital alarm if you are unsure.
• Leasing or hiring: Age UK suggests this for larger or costlier systems in case needs change.
• Servicing: check whether the installer can return regularly to check the system.
• Benefits: Age UK says to see whether you could claim benefits that help pay, such as Pension Credit or Attendance Allowance.

Our Attendance Allowance guide explains that benefit.

Quality and scams

The TEC Services Association, the TSA, advises choosing a TEC Quality certified organisation, which has been assessed against the Quality Standards Framework. It also suggests searching for independent reviews and checking whether the TSA holds information on a company, by phone on 01625 520320 as at November 2026. It warns against accepting services from anyone who contacts you unexpectedly, and against firms claiming to have taken over local telecare provision. Never give bank details to a cold caller.

Costs, and the digital phone switchover

The official pages we checked give no price for a pendant alarm, so we do not quote one. The NHS says basic alarms are usually cheap to buy, while monitored alarms and GPS systems cost more, and that monitored telecare usually has an installation cost followed by a monthly charge depending on the package.

Check what the monthly charge includes, whether there is a minimum contract, how to cancel and what happens if the alarm is triggered by mistake. Get all of this in writing before you pay anything.

Digital switchover

GOV.UK says all UK households are moving from analogue landlines to a digital, internet-based voice service by January 2027, and that some analogue telecare devices may not be compatible or may work less reliably. If you already have an alarm, contact your landline provider first and tell your alarm supplier. Age UK’s page, last updated 11 August 2026, says the same: avoid analogue devices and choose a digital alarm if unsure.

An alarm is one layer. Our falls prevention at home checklist covers the others, such as lighting, clutter and footwear.

Pendant alarms across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Council schemes and rules differ by nation, so check with your own local authority. The GOV.UK community alarm page does not state which nations it covers, and says local councils arrange the service, so for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ask your council or health and social care trust whether a scheme exists and what it costs.

The NHS says you can contact the TEC Services Association, the TSA, to find monitored telecare providers and get advice. The digital phone line advice applies across the UK, since GOV.UK says the switchover affects all UK households.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pendant alarm?

A pendant alarm is a button worn on the neck or wrist that raises an alert when pressed. Age UK describes it as connecting you to a call centre, which contacts a chosen person or the emergency services. It is one type of personal alarm within telecare.

What is the difference between a monitored and unmonitored alarm?

A monitored alarm connects to a service that watches for alerts around the clock, according to the NHS. An unmonitored alarm, such as a relay alarm, sends the alert to a family member’s phone or sounds locally, so it relies on someone being nearby.

Do automatic fall detectors work without pressing a button?

Age UK describes an automatic fall detector as sensing a fall and alerting a response centre without a button press. We could not verify how reliably any detector works, so ask the supplier what it will and will not detect.

Can my council provide a pendant alarm?

Some local authorities provide telecare. Contact adult social care and ask. GOV.UK says that if your council offers it, it will arrange a home assessment. You may be charged, and a financial assessment decides whether you get help with the cost.

How much does a pendant alarm cost?

The official sources we checked give no prices. The NHS says basic alarms are usually cheap, and monitored alarms and GPS systems cost more, usually with an installation cost and a monthly charge. Compare suppliers and get every charge in writing.

Will my pendant alarm work after the digital phone switchover?

GOV.UK says households are moving to digital phone lines by January 2027, and some analogue devices may not work reliably. Contact your landline provider and alarm supplier now, and choose a digital alarm if you are buying new.

How do I check a telecare provider is reputable?

The TSA advises choosing a TEC Quality certified organisation, reading independent reviews and checking whether the TSA holds information on the company. Be wary of cold callers asking for bank details or claiming to have taken over local provision.

Official sources

• NHS: Telecare and personal alarms
• GOV.UK: Apply for a community alarm
• Age UK: Telecare and telehealth (updated 11 August 2026)
• TEC Services Association: Tips on choosing a provider
• NHS: Falls

This page is general information, not legal, medical or financial advice. The Care Panel is an independent guide and is not part of any government body or care provider. Last checked 9 November 2026.

Related: What to do after a fall · Night lights and safe bedrooms · Falls prevention at home checklist

See also: Fall Risk Factors Elderly People Can Fix: Shoes, Eyes, Medicines

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 9 November 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.