This section of the site provides information about the CGA's SupportLine service and sheltered housing in Preston. You can also download related information.

SupportLine is an emergency monitoring service that helps people to stay independent. Run by Community Gateway Association (CGA), SupportLine operates 24-hours a day, every day of the year.

Service users have peace of mind, knowing that if an emergency happens, help is at hand. So SupportLine is ideal for people who need a little reassurance. They might need extra support due to illness, following a stay in hospital or because they're living alone for the first time.

The service works as follows:

• When someone subscribes to SupportLine,CGA provides a pendant
• The pendant can be worn anywhere around the home (including the garden)
• In an emergency, the user presses a button on the pendant. This connects them to the CGA's contact centre
• CGA staff in the contact centre can tell who's calling, and will find out what the user needs
• Depending on the situation, CGA staff will call emergency services, a friend or relative, or a neighbour - it's a quick and easy way to get help

In many cases, staff will stay on the line until help arrives.

SupportLine is available to CGA tenants, home owners and private tenants. It costs from as little as 37 pence per day. Some people even buy the service as a gift for friends or relatives needing support.

If people have particular needs or health problems, there are special sensors that can be installed. These cover things like falls, floods, build-up of gas and the temperature in someone's home. SupportLine users just choose the level of support that best suits their needs.

To find out more about this service, please call the SupportLine team on 0800 953 0213 or e-mail the SupportLine Team.