The current position

Social alarms, as documented in Chapters Five to Nine, are now established in most, if not all, countries of the Western world. They are particularly well established in Northern Europe including the Scandinavian countries, and also in North America, Israel, Japan and Australia. They are also increasingly evident in a number of less developed countries such as those within former Eastern Europe and the former Yugoslavia.

The evidence for this wider distribution of social alarms is limited in the sense that there are, as emphasised in Chapter Three, few published articles and reports emanating from many of the countries in question. The main manufacturers meanwhile have been understandably guarded about where they have marketed their wares lest they signal commercial opportunities to others.

Despite such provisos, the information presented in this book makes it possible to list both the countries where social alarms are well established and those where some social alarm services are evident but the markets remain poorly developed. Social alarms are well established in many of the former in the sense that they are underpinned by public sector subsidies and sometimes legislation that encourages or requires such provision. Alternatively there are commercial markets within which services can actively compete for the custom of older people and/or agencies that provide support services for their benefit. A number of smaller countries can also be included where the markets may be limited in size but where social alarms are used by several thousand older people. Table 10.1 provides those listings of countries with established or developing markets.

Themes and issues

Making comparisons between the contrasting countries with social alarms is difficult. The paucity of specific information regarding them has been noted. And even when some information is available it may only be passing mention.

Few central or regional government departments or agencies have specifically addressed the issue of social alarm services and their role. Accolades must go, therefore, to the Victoria State government in Australia in their review of the VICPACS service discussed in Chapter Nine (Department of Human Services, 1998) and, for earlier studies, to Scottish Homes (Duncan and Thwaites, 1987), the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services (1987) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (MacLaren Plansearch, 1988).