Ashleigh's Story

While occasionally struggling with seizures, Ashleigh does her best to live an independent life in Christchurch.  Her mum, Trish, became worried for her daughter’s safety while she was away for work when it came to Ashleigh being at home on her own and out and about in the community.

Epilepsy NZ connected Jonathan from Te Wana Ltd. with both Ashleigh and Trish to hear about their circumstances and find a solution that would work for both of them.

After talking things through, Jonathan recommended a fall detector and a monitored smoke alarm from SECURELY. Through SECURELY, both the detector and smoke alarm are connected to a SECURELY medical alarm. If activated, a call immediately goes through to the SECURELY team based in Levin. From there, the team will give Ashleigh a call to check in and see if she needs help. SECURELY are fully equipped with each person’s circumstances like Ashleigh’s and from there they have the ability to contact someone like Trish or escalate the situation to emergency services.

Ashleigh now wears a fall detector around her neck while her mum is at work. If she falls due to a seizure, the alarm can detect the fall immediately. The alarm is also an emergency pendant that Ashleigh has the ability to press to get help quickly.

While initially reluctant to wear it due to the stigma associated with medical alarms being for ‘older people’, her mother gave Ashleigh the reassurance that the alarm would put her in the best possible hands should a seizure occur while also giving Trish peace of mind that she was to be well cared for while she was away from home.

Ashleigh now tests the pendant regularly and calls SECURELY frequently to continue to build up her confidence while using the alarm.