The frustration of trying to get through to a real person when dealing with day-to-day tasks such as banking or paying utilities is something everyone can relate to.

But the automation of life poses particular challenges to vulnerable or elderly people, for whom internet communication isn’t the easiest to navigate.

One agency trying to make this challenge easier for people is Muintir na Tíre, which has been supporting rural communities for almost 90 years.

Established in 1937 as the National Association for Community Development, the organisation has a branch in almost every rural parish in the country, offering a lifeline to those living alone or in remote areas.

Community alert schemes were introduced in 1984, in response to rural crime, and are operated by community groups the length and breadth of the country.

Over the past 40 years, the schemes have expanded to offer a range of initiatives designed to keep people safe in their homes.

Farm accident

One of the longest established aspects of community alert, the Seniors Alert Scheme (socially monitored alarms), plays a huge role in protecting wearers of the distinctive pendants and bracelets.

Pauric Vaughan, an administrator of the scheme in Doolin, Lisdoonvarna and Kishanny in Co Clare says more than 110 people are signed up to the scheme throughout the north of the county.

“It’s a simple but very effective method of keeping people safe and it is having huge success in this part of the country, with many lives saved as a result of the person pressing the pendant button,” says Pauric.

“A lady approached me in Ennistymon last week to thank me for helping her mother get a pendant. Just a few hours after her family left after a visit, she had to use it when she had a fall in her home. The lady said that without the pendant, her mother wouldn’t have been found for a few days.”

Andy Guthrie (82) from Lisdoonvarna applied for a pendant after his 89-year-old brother was involved in a farm accident in 2022.

“He was trapped under a tractor and luckily was alright after it but it got me thinking about getting the alarms, both for him and myself as I live on my own,” he says.

“I’ve been wearing it for about a year now and it is reassuring to know that if I need to press the button, someone will answer me. I have three personal numbers stored so two friends and a neighbour will be contacted in the event of me needing help.”

Pauric praises the role of Pobal as funders of the scheme, which he says is a lifeline to elderly and vulnerable people all over the country.

“We get most of our referrals from the public health nurse or the Gardaí and all we need is the person’s name, date of birth, phone number and Eircode. We pass these details on to the Department of Rural Protection who then approve the application and it goes to our service provider who tests the system throughout the year to ensure it is fully functional.

“The only issues we have encountered is where a person has registered the unit to their mobile instead of a landline and where there may be issues with phone coverage. Other than that, it’s a very successful system.”

Andy says he is encouraged by the fact a real person will contact him if he ever needs help.

“It’s not like the energy and phone companies who only want to send you online and will only deal with you if you give them your bank card details, there’s a person at the end of the phone and that is reassuring,” he adds.

Lifesaver

Feedback from the scheme in Co Mayo suggests the alarms have saved many lives and the decision to ask the clergy to help promote the use of the pendants saw applications for the alarms soar in the west of the country.

“While most people appreciate and understand the value of the alarms, others are less enthused and can leave them lying around the house,” says Ger Costello, Muintir’s Development Officer for Clare, Galway, Mayo, Longford and Roscommon.

“We asked different parishes if the priest making his First Friday calls to the elderly and the infirm would encourage people to wear the pendants correctly. The requests for pendants went through the roof after we did this.”

One of the main initiatives Muintir has been running since the country emerged from the pandemic has been a series of Community Comeback events, where people are encouraged to attend events where a host of agencies and support services are on hand to help with individual queries.

“People are sick of trying to find a person to deal with when they have an issue or need information from an agency, be it the HSE or an energy provider as we’re all being told to email them instead,” says Ger.

Community support register

“The Community Comeback events bring all the agencies such as the Gardaí, the HSE, Men’s Shed, MABS, Alone and other community and voluntary groups together in the one place and people come and are able to discuss whatever their concerns or needs are face-to-face.

“We had a very successful event in Hollymount in Co Mayo in recent weeks and we are in the process of organising similar days in Wexford, Kilkenny and Galway in the coming months.”

Ger says the benefits of such events are manifold, with those sharing information and services also benefiting from the sessions.

“I thought it would be difficult to get agencies together in a rural venue but we had 20 different ones attend an event in Monivea, Co Galway in May and the networking and inter-agency education that went on was one of the biggest benefits of the evening,” he explains.

“We are hoping to hold more in September to reach as many people as possible before the winter nights set in.”

CEO of Muintir, Niall Garvey, says the challenges posed by COVID-19 forced the organisation to think outside the box when it came to supporting communities.

“We have launched a number of different schemes in recent years that have been particularly effective in helping people in rural Ireland feel safer,” he says.

“The Bottle in the Fridge records all the medication a person may be taking along with any allergies and the details of their next of kin in a sealed bottle in their fridge.

"They then display a special green sticker in their front window/door that the emergency services are familiar with and in the event that an ambulance is called to the home of someone who lives alone, the paramedics know they will find all the information they need in the fridge.

“A similar scheme, the Personal Information Pack (PIP) is stored in the glovebox of the car or in the case of farmers, in the toolbox in the tractor. This is particularly valuable as farmers often work on their own and can be gone for hours so in the event of an accident, the PIP is invaluable.”

“Many Community Alert schemes also operate a Community Support Register where they record the details of vulnerable and elderly people that can be shared with the Gardaí and the HSE, with the permission of those involved.

"It means there’s an extra eye kept out for those who may not have family living locally or are vulnerable in another way, as there are plenty of vulnerable people who aren’t necessarily elderly.”

For further information on all the above schemes, go to muintir.ie.