South Wales Evening Post - 16 February 2009
Frail pensioners fear they will be forced to give up a free emergency lifeline if a £100 yearly price tag is imposed by council chiefs.
Some claim they may have to decide between forking out for the electronic help button or spending the money keeping their homes warm.
The emergency Lifeline system offers an instant connection to carers if the user should fall or become ill.
Every year 200,000 calls are made to its call centre by the 8,000 people in Swansea who rely on the service.
Council chiefs say they are currently consulting pensioners on introducing a yearly charge, designed to improve and maintain the service, but that no final decision has been made.
Mike Tonkin, aged 69, of Fairwood Common, whose 95-year-old mum Vida is dependent on the alarm system, said he was stunned by the move.
"It's currently a free service," he said.
"My mum has had a letter from Swansea Council about the community alarm system, which says the local authority are looking to charge £100 a year.
"It's pay up or hard luck — it's disgraceful. My mum has a choice whether she keeps herself warm and falls on the floor without an alarm or she has the lifeline. I am very surprised — it's come out of the blue."
Laura Jones, of Llys Teg, Dunvant, said she too was disgusted with the way elderly and vulnerable people in Swansea were being treated.
"Receiving this letter upset me greatly," she said.
"I can't afford to pay £100 for the telephone, so they will have to come and take it away, but I need it because I've been ill and I'm housebound."
Last year, the local authority linked up with Carmarthenshire Council to run the system, and calls are now handled in the Llandeilo call centre.
Swansea Council said all but two of the 22 Welsh local authorities charge for the service, with the costs varying between £52 and £260 a year.
Swansea Council said it is now looking to charge users £2 a week to help meet the demand on the service.
Without the fee, the council said it would not be able to introduce new safety features such as linking the system to smoke detectors, heat and intruder alarms.
But it said that reduced charges for some people may also be offered if the changes goes ahead.
Paul Littlewood, from Swansea Council's disability service, said: "Our aim is to continue to develop our community alarm service for existing users and hopefully to allow more people to benefit.
"Many of those who use the service currently do not require any other social care support but it provides valuable reassurance within their home.
"We hope that users will take part in the consultation to help us develop a way forward for the scheme."
