Guides / Personal alarms for elderly people
Fair guideA personal alarm gives an older person a way to call for help at home and, with some models, when they are out. Here is how the main kinds work, the difference between monitored and unmonitored, the one big limitation they share, and when a sensor with nothing to wear is the better choice, or a good partner.
The main kinds
A pendant or wristband with a help button. Press it and the alarm calls a family member or a monitoring centre. Simple, familiar and long established. It relies on the person being able to press the button.
A pendant that also tries to detect a fall from sudden movement, and raises the alarm without a button press. Helpful if the person cannot press a button, but slow or braced falls can be missed, and it needs charging.
Some smartwatches can call for help, and some models offer fall detection when the feature is turned on. Good for someone who already likes a watch and keeps it charged, often daily. Check who the alert actually goes to.
Features vary between models, so check the specific product. Source: CHOICE personal alarm buying guide.
| Question | Monitored | Unmonitored |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers the alarm | A 24/7 monitoring centre, which contacts family or emergency services | The alarm calls or texts numbers you set, usually family, friends or neighbours |
| Ongoing cost | Usually a monthly fee on top of the device | Usually the device, sometimes a mobile plan |
| Worth checking | Response times, what the fee includes, and any contract length | That the people on the list will answer, day and night, and can get there |
Neither is better in every case. Monitoring makes most sense when family cannot reliably answer at any hour. Unmonitored can work well when a nearby relative or neighbour is always reachable. For more detail, see the CHOICE personal alarm buying guide.
A personal alarm only helps if it is on the person when they need it. That sounds obvious, but it is where most of them come unstuck.
None of this makes personal alarms a bad choice. It makes them a choice that depends on the person.
A radar sensor watches part of a room rather than the person, so it does not need to be worn, charged or pressed. That makes it worth a look when:
It is not a replacement for a personal alarm when the person is often out, because a room sensor only covers the room it is in. Plenty of households use both: a sensor in the bedroom and bathroom, and a pendant or watch for time out.
Seenyor is a camera-free radar sensor that goes on the ceiling and alerts the Seenyor app when it detects a fall in its coverage area, after a set time on the floor, 60 seconds by default. Fall detection covers about 24 square metres per device, and most homes use one or two. It needs mains power and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (or the 4G version), and it is not recommended where pets share the room. (Seenyor specifications, placement, alarms)
The device is A$770 + GST (A$847 inc GST), a one-off price per device. An optional 24/7 monitoring plan is available as a separate monthly subscription, agreed after installation. Seenyor is a non-medical assistive safety and wellbeing system: it alerts people quickly, and it does not prevent falls or replace care.
The AT-HM List under Support at Home includes personal emergency alarm systems and environmental emergency alarm systems. (AT-HM List) See paying for Seenyor through Support at Home or, for NDIS participants, buying Seenyor with NDIS funding.
This page is general information, not funding, eligibility or clinical advice. Your planner, plan manager, support coordinator, occupational therapist, aged care provider or My Aged Care can tell you what applies to you.
Questions
A small device, usually a pendant, wristband or watch, that lets an older person call for help by pressing a button. Some also try to detect a fall automatically.
A monitored alarm goes to a 24/7 monitoring centre, usually for a monthly fee. An unmonitored alarm calls or texts numbers you choose, such as family or neighbours.
It only helps if it is worn and, for button models, pressed. Many people take them off at night or in the shower, and a person who is hurt or confused may not press the button.
Yes. A radar sensor such as Seenyor goes on the ceiling and watches part of a room for a fall, with nothing to wear or charge and no camera. It only covers the room it is in.
Yes, and many households do. A sensor covers the bedroom and bathroom at home, and a pendant or watch covers time out.
Official pages we used, checked on 8 October 2026. Rules change, so the source is always the final word.
Tell us the person, the home and who will respond. We will tell you honestly whether a personal alarm, a sensor or both would serve better.
