Personal alarms for elderly people in New Zealand can send an SOS alert to either a professional monitoring centre or trusted contacts such as family, friends, neighbours or carers. The right alarm depends on where it must work, who will respond, whether mobile coverage is available and what should happen if the first alert is missed.
A personal alarm can make it easier to request help, but it does not prevent falls, guarantee a response or replace 111, healthcare or a practical family safety plan.
Key points
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Choose an alarm by its response path and coverage area, not by its feature list alone.
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An in-home alarm is designed for the house and nearby property; an “anywhere” alarm is designed to work away from home where compatible mobile coverage is available.
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Automatic fall detection is a backup feature. It can miss some falls or generate an alert after a non-fall movement.
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Decide in advance who will call the wearer, who can attend in person and when a contact should call 111.
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Current Work and Income guidance says eligible Disability Allowance support may cover ongoing rental and monitoring for either an in-home or an anywhere medical alarm.
What is a personal alarm?
A personal alarm is a wearable or portable device that lets a person request assistance without first finding and operating a phone. Depending on the model, pressing an SOS button may contact a staffed monitoring centre or send an alert directly to nominated contacts.
Mobile models may also support two-way voice calling and provide a reported location. Some include automatic alerts for a possible fall, low battery, lack of movement or movement into or out of a configured area.
ACC reports that falls are more likely to affect people aged over 65. An alarm cannot remove that risk, but it can provide another way to ask for help after an incident. ACC publishes current New Zealand fall-injury data and its counting methodology.
Which type of personal alarm is suitable?
Start with two questions: Where might the person need help, and who should receive the first alert?
| Alarm type | First alert recipient | Where it is designed to work | May suit | Main limitation to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-home monitored alarm | A professional monitoring centre | The home and stated range around it | Someone mainly at home who needs a staffed service to receive alerts | It may not operate away from the property |
| Anywhere monitored alarm | A professional monitoring centre | At home and away, subject to network coverage | An active person who wants professional monitoring | Ongoing fees, battery life and mobile coverage |
| Family-connected mobile alarm | Nominated family, friends, neighbours or carers | At home and away, subject to device and network coverage | Someone with a dependable personal support network | There is no monitoring-centre operator if contacts do not answer |
Sensors such as bed mats, door alerts or inactivity monitors can supplement these systems. They do not remove the need for a clear response plan.
Should alerts go to a monitoring centre or trusted contacts?
Neither response model is automatically better. The important question is whether the chosen people or service can respond reliably.
A professionally monitored alarm normally sends an activation to a staffed centre. What the operator does next—such as speaking with the wearer, calling listed contacts or escalating the situation—depends on the provider’s procedures and the customer’s service agreement.
A family-connected alarm sends the activation to people selected by the wearer. This allows the wearer to speak with someone familiar, but the household must plan for work hours, travel, poor phone reception, overnight availability and unanswered calls.
For a family-connected system, nominate more than one contact and agree on the order of action. One person might call the wearer, another might attend the address, and a backup contact might call 111 if the circumstances indicate an emergency.
Do not assume that pressing an alarm automatically dispatches an ambulance or contacts 111. Confirm the exact alert and escalation sequence for the model and service before relying on it.
What is the difference between an in-home and an anywhere 'Out and about' alarm?
An in-home alarm is intended to work within a stated range of a base unit or home system. An anywhere out and about alarm uses mobile connectivity and is intended to work both at home and in the community.
Work and Income uses these same two categories when describing medical-alarm support. Its current guidance says the type a person may qualify for depends on a medical practitioner’s recommendation and the other Disability Allowance criteria. See Work and Income’s current medical-alarm guidance.
For a mobile alarm, test the conditions that matter in daily life:
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inside the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and garage
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around the garden, driveway and letterbox
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on usual walking routes
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at shops, clubs, family homes and medical appointments
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on rural roads or properties where coverage may vary
Location and alert delivery are separate functions. A device may need to determine or estimate its location and also connect to a compatible network to send that information. Indoor location can be less precise than an outdoor GPS position, so ask the supplier how the exact model reports location in different environments.
How reliable is automatic fall detection?
Automatic fall detection can start an alert when the wearer cannot press SOS, but it should not be treated as a guarantee. Detection depends on the movement recorded by the device, its sensitivity settings and how it is worn. Some falls may not trigger an alert, while some sudden non-fall movements may do so.
Familyr’s own guidance states that its fall detection is not 100% accurate and recommends pressing the SOS button whenever the wearer is able. Read Familyr’s fall-detection explanation and the Familyr user guide.
Ask the supplier to demonstrate how to cancel an accidental alert, adjust sensitivity if the model permits it and test the feature without creating a false emergency.
What should a personal-alarm response plan include?
The device sends the alert; the response plan determines what happens next. Write down the answers to these questions:
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Who receives the first alert?
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Who calls or speaks with the wearer immediately?
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Who is the backup if the first contact does not answer?
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Who can reach the wearer in person?
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Who has a key, lockbox code or another lawful way to enter the property?
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What information may emergency services need?
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When should a contact stop trying family members and call 111?
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Who will update other family members after the incident?
In New Zealand, call 111 when an emergency response is needed from Police, Fire or Ambulance. New Zealand Police states that 111 calls are free and can be made from a mobile phone that is out of credit. That guidance does not establish that every personal-alarm device can call 111 directly or operate without a SIM; verify the exact device configuration separately. See New Zealand Police’s 111 guidance.
How do you keep a personal alarm dependable?
A personal alarm is useful only when it is worn, charged, connected and understood. A simple routine should include:
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wearing the device during the times and activities for which protection is needed
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checking the manufacturer’s water-resistance instructions before wearing it in a shower or rain
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charging it on a consistent schedule
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responding promptly to low-battery warnings
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testing SOS and two-way voice functions according to the supplier’s instructions
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reviewing contact numbers whenever family circumstances change
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checking coverage after moving home or changing mobile service
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telling contacts before a planned test
Comfort and ease of use matter. A device left on a bedside table cannot be reached during an incident elsewhere in the home.
Can Work and Income help pay for a medical alarm?
Possibly. Work and Income says Disability Allowance may help with the ongoing rental and monitoring costs of an in-home or anywhere medical alarm. Eligibility is not based on age alone. It depends on health or disability needs, a medical practitioner’s confirmation, income and other requirements.
The current guidance also says the alarm normally needs to come from an MSD-accredited supplier. Work and Income does not generally pay the one-off cost of buying an alarm or the cost of additional items such as fall detectors or pressure mats. Check the rules before choosing a product or assuming funding will apply. Work and Income explains eligibility, covered costs and current accredited suppliers.
When comparing total cost, ask about:
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purchase, rental and professional-monitoring fees
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installation and training
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mobile service, SIM or data costs
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testing, servicing and replacement
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extra pendants, sensors or a key lockbox
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minimum terms and cancellation fees
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what the contract says about ambulance-related costs
Where does Familyr fit?
Familyr is a family-connected mobile alarm rather than a professionally monitored service. Its current New Zealand user guide describes SOS alerts to nominated contacts, sequential voice calling, two-way communication, location functions, low-battery alerts and automatic fall detection.
That model may suit a person who wants alerts to go directly to a dependable network of family, friends, neighbours or carers. Someone who does not have contacts who can answer and act at all relevant times may be better suited to a professionally monitored service.
Features, connectivity arrangements and emergency-call behaviour can vary by model and market. Confirm the supplied SIM or connectivity option, supported network, contact sequence, coverage, water resistance and escalation settings for the exact device before purchase.
Questions to ask before buying a personal alarm
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Who receives an SOS alert first?
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What happens if that person does not answer?
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Does the alarm work only at home or wherever compatible mobile coverage is available?
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Can the wearer and responder speak through the device?
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How is location determined indoors and outdoors?
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What happens when fall detection activates accidentally?
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How often does the device need charging?
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Is it suitable for the shower, rain or immersion?
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What costs continue after purchase?
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Who provides setup, testing, servicing and technical support?
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Can contacts and settings be changed easily?
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What evidence shows that the exact model works with the intended network and destination settings?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best personal alarm for an elderly person in New Zealand?
The best alarm is one that works where the person spends time and has a realistic response plan. An in-home alarm may suit someone who rarely leaves the property. An anywhere mobile alarm may suit someone who walks, shops or visits others independently. Choose professional monitoring when a staffed service is needed; choose family connection only when nominated contacts can respond reliably.
Can a personal alarm call family instead of a monitoring centre?
Yes. Family-connected alarms can alert nominated relatives, friends, neighbours or carers instead of a professional monitoring centre. Check how many contacts can be added, whether they are called in sequence and what happens if nobody answers.
Do personal alarms work outside the home?
Some do. An anywhere alarm is designed for use outside the home, subject to compatible network coverage, sufficient battery and correct setup. An in-home pendant may work only within the stated range of its base unit.
Is fall detection guaranteed to detect every fall?
No. Treat automatic fall detection as a backup to the SOS button. Ask how the specific device detects a fall, how it should be worn and how accidental alerts are cancelled.
Does pressing a personal alarm automatically call 111?
Not necessarily. Some alarms contact a monitoring centre, while others contact nominated people. A direct emergency-call option is device- and configuration-dependent. Confirm the activation path in writing before purchase.
Can Disability Allowance help with a personal alarm?
Eligible people may receive help with ongoing rental and monitoring costs for an in-home or anywhere medical alarm. A health practitioner’s assessment and other Work and Income criteria apply, and a one-off device purchase is generally not covered.
Can a personal alarm be worn in the shower?
Only if the manufacturer’s instructions say the exact model is suitable for that exposure. Water-resistant does not necessarily mean safe for swimming or immersion.
Sources
Last reviewed: 3 November 2026. Funding, supplier terms, prices and device specifications can change; recheck them before publication and purchase.