If, like me, you use or care for someone who uses a telephone alarm button - usually taking the form of a pendant or bracelet that communicates with a special landline phone handset to call for assistance in emergency (such as after a fall ... or a stroke, huh!) the benefits are obvious. My wife feels much more content leaving me at home when she knows that should I suffer another mishap I need only press the button hanging round my neck to send an emergency message to her,

If you are interested, your local friendly OT will give you a list of companies (such as AgeUK) that supply such devices on lease or rental with a service charge (usually whopping) or, again like me, you can go to Amazon and buy one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amplicom-PowerTel-Alarm-Corded-Telephone/dp... for £50 that does the job for you with no recurring or additional charges.

Anyway - the device works splendidly - as long as I'm in the house when misfortune happens, that is. The range of the "button" reaches partway down our garden and no further. If I'm on my way to a meeting or hospital appointment all bets are off.

O2 (the mobile phone operator) has just launched a service with a device that links to the mobile phone network to provide a similar emergency call service to that provided by the landline system. You can read the announcement at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/06/help_at_hand/ or, presumably, toddle into the nearest O2 shop and get the sales pitch.

The device is VERY expensive (IMHO) at £99 to buy then £20 each month for the service.

Or ... again if like me, you have (or buy a cheap) Android phone, you can download for free one of the following apps that provide a "panic alarm" button on the home screen of your mobile phone then typically initiate a series of text messages, emails, phone calls etc to contacts you set to give the details of the emergency and, cleverly, using the GPS built in to most modern phones, the distressed person's location to within about 10 - 50 metres.

The android apps can be found at:

If you don't have an Android phone, a suitable one can be picked up for about the same price as the )2 device (eg; http://www.expansys.com/sony-xperia-tipo-classic-black-233574/ plenty of other makes and models are available) and, as the apps are free, there are no running costs.

If you need a reliable, cheap Pay-As-You-Go mobile phone service, very suitable for a low volume user, I'd recommend GiffGaff - the service actually runs on the O2 mobile phone network. Order a SIM via an affiliate page (if you don't know anyone who already uses GiffGaff, use my page at http://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/eqdynamics) and you'll get £5 free call credit when you join. There are no contracts or monthly fees and call credit you buy lasts as long as it take you to use it - it never "expires" as the big, High Street operators are wont to do.

As I'm not a fan of Apple devices, Blackberries and the like, I haven't looked but similar emergency apps are likely to be available for these platforms too - though probably at a cost of a few pounds - still £hundreds lower than the commercially operated services.

As ever, technology is a great boon to the disabled but, as ever, it pays to shop around and take care that you are getting good value for what you want.

In summary, from commercial providers, emergency call systems currently cost (for both landline and mobile versions) around £100 - £150 to install or buy plus around £20 per month (that's £240 per year) in "service" charges.

The alternative landline product (see link to it at Amazon above) costs £50 to buy and no running costs (other than your normal phone calls).

The alternative mobile solution is free (if you already own a suitable phone .. about £100 for a phone if you don't) then again costs nothing to run and provides an equivalent or better service.

As the old saying goes, "you pays your money and you makes your choice".

I know which choices I made, and I'm happy to have made substantial savings (at least £500 per year) and obtained the service well ahead of the costly commercial offerings now becoming available.