The Seniors Alert Scheme in Ireland: who qualifies, what it costs and how to apply

Who qualifies for the Seniors Alert Scheme

According to Pobal, which administers the scheme, your loved one needs to be:

• ✓ Aged 65 or over.
• ✓ Of limited means or resources.
• ✓ Living alone, living with another person who also qualifies, alone for significant parts of the day, or caring for someone in the same household.
• ✓ Living in an area covered by a registered local organisation.
• ✓ Able to benefit from the equipment, and prepared to keep in contact with that organisation.

The local group confirms eligibility when you apply, so if you are not sure whether your loved one qualifies, ask them. You can read the scheme details on Pobal's website.

What you get

A monitored personal alarm: a pendant or wristband with a button, and a base unit in the home. When the button is pressed, the base unit connects to a monitoring centre, which can speak to your loved one and contact the people on their list or the emergency services. The equipment and its installation are provided under the scheme.

What it costs

The equipment is provided free, and monitoring is free for the first year. After the first year you pay an annual monitoring fee. The fee varies by provider and by the type of alarm, and it is typically somewhere around 60 to 90 euro a year, with about 70 euro common, so check the exact amount with your local group before you sign up. If the home has no suitable landline and the alarm connects over mobile signal instead, there may also be a charge for the SIM.

If cost is the worry, our guide to paying for a fall alarm in Ireland covers the other supports worth checking.

How to apply for the Seniors Alert Scheme

You do not apply to the government or to Pobal directly. Applications go through a local community, voluntary or not-for-profit organisation that is registered with Pobal for the scheme. That group checks eligibility, orders the equipment and arranges the install.

1. Find the registered group for your area. Your local Citizens Information centre, family resource centre or active retirement group can usually point you to the right one, and Pobal's website has a map of registered groups by county.
2. Get in touch with them. A family member can usually make the first contact, although the application is made for, and with, your loved one.
3. The group confirms eligibility and arranges delivery and installation. You will be asked to confirm that you understand how the equipment is used and that the annual monitoring fee applies after the first year.

What the scheme does not cover

• ✓ It works by pressing a button. A standard pendant does not detect a fall on its own, so it relies on your loved one being conscious and able to press it.
• ✓ It is a home system. The pendant works within range of its base unit, so it is not designed to follow your loved one to the shops or out on a walk.
• ✓ The first call goes to a monitoring centre rather than to the family, although the family can be on the contact list.

None of that makes it a poor choice. For a loved one who is mostly at home and able to press a button, it is genuinely good, it costs little, and we would always suggest checking it first. Our plain guide to panic alarms for the elderly in Ireland covers the button options in more detail.

Is the Seniors Alert Scheme enough?

For a settled loved one who is happy with a button at home, the scheme may be all they need. If you worry about a fall when nobody is there, about your loved one being out on their own, or you simply want to see for yourself that they are okay, a fall detection watch adds cover on top. Plenty of families run both: the scheme pendant in the house, and a watch on the wrist.

• ✓ It can raise the alarm automatically, even when your loved one cannot press a button.
• ✓ GPS means it works when they are out and about, not only inside the house.
• ✓ A family app lets you see location and alerts yourself, rather than relying on a call centre alone.

For the wider choice, see our guides to the best fall alarm in Ireland and a fall detection watch vs a pendant alarm. If the search that brought you here was for an HSE alarm, our post on HSE personal alarms explains why this scheme is the one you are looking for.

If you decide you want more than a button at home, the Norse Watch works as a personal alarm in Ireland with automatic fall detection, GPS and a family app. See the full fall detection watch spec. Whatever you choose, it depends on mobile signal and on the device, so it is reassurance, not a guarantee.