In a new initiative with the Blind Foundation, St John is offering discounted rates for St John Medical Alarms to Blind Foundation clients.
Trevor Plumbly, who is vision impaired, approached the Blind Foundation with the idea of discounted rates for Medical Alarms to clients, and as a result a new relationship between the Blind Foundation and St John was created.
St John Director of Customer and Supporters Pete Loveridge says partnering with community organisations to do what’s right for New Zealander’s is a key aim for St John.
“This initiative is a great example of a shared ambition between charities coming together to build resilient communities”.
Compared to those with full vision, people who live with significant vision loss find daily life difficult, and their risk of falls is doubled.
Nationally, nearly 49,000 people benefit from a St John Medical Alarm and the Blind Foundation have over 13,000 clients who will be offered the discount, meaning they can have access to vital help when it is needed most.
Sandra Budd, Blind Foundation Chief Executive, says the Foundation’s services help people with vision loss to achieve independent living.
“We are really proud of the difference we make in giving people with sight loss the confidence to live life independently and get on with doing what they want to”.
Ms Budd says that accidents do happen however, and the St John Medical Alarm service can offer peace of mind to clients and their families.
Nick Coley, St John Head of Telecare, explains St John has been working with the Blind Foundation to extend discounts and benefits of St John Medical Alarms to all clients of the Blind Foundation nationally.
“St John is delighted to be able to support blind and low vision New Zealanders to live safe and independently in their homes.”
A St John Medical Alarm is activated by simply pushing a button which connects the client to the St John Monitoring team where help is arranged, be it phoning family members or transferring the client through to a St John emergency call handler to organise an ambulance or other medical care.
The St John Medical Alarm discount is available to all Blind Foundation clients who are new and existing users of the service.