Looking after each other Sunday 23 April 2023 at 3pm
Zibiah Loakthar, our Cuimhne Coordinator writes:
This Sunday at 3pm across Britain there will be a national test of the UK emergency alerts service: https://www.gov.uk/alerts Help spread the word!
Emergency Alerts is a UK government service that will warn you if there is a danger to life nearby.
In a real emergency (such as severe flooding, fires, extreme weather our mobile phones or tablets will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe. Such messages in a real situation will only be sent by the emergency services or government departments, agencies and public bodies that deal with emergencies.
For the test this Sunday, an unusually loud siren-like sound and vibration that will go off on all phones and tablets for about 10 seconds. An alarm will sound loudly on all devices that are switched on (even where a phone or tablet may be switched to silent mode). The device may also read out the alert.
Whilst advance warning about this alert has been on the news it may still catch some of us by surprise.
The purpose of the alert test is to look after everyone. Our team encourages all who can do so safely to engage with the test and not simply switch phones off ahead of 3pm.
At the same time, we can also look after ourselves and others who may be particularly affected by this alert.
In our community, some of us may
-be startled by loud noises and jump in shock
-find loud noises like fire alarms upsetting and anxiety inducing
-panic when hearing an alarm where it might remind us of a scary situation we have been in before.
-find symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder are triggered
-experience sensory overwhelm where a loud sound might overstimulate our senses
- experience anxiety and difficulty self-regulating if we have ADHD sensory overload
-be very confused at what the alert is about (especially if we are experiencing dementia or other forms of memory loss)
-be worried about whether the alert is a real one (especially if we are living alone and are not sure who to check with)
For people in our community living with dementia, the past can be experienced very vividly. A loud alert may not only remind people of a past scary situation, for instance of a fire or bomb scare, but awaken a memory that is so vivid people believe themselves to be living through that very experience now.
This can be disorientating and anxiety-inducing. For people who may be losing spoken language skills due to dementia, such experiences may be communicated to others through unusual behaviour rather than words.
We can help each other and people we care for by reminding people to consider
- avoiding activities which require concentration like driving at this time
- inviting a friend or a neighbour for a cup of tea on Sunday afternoon rather than being alone when the alarm sounds
- setting a reminder about the alert on a personal calendar
- asking a friend to remind us shortly ahead of 3pm of what will happen
- asking a friend to call us shortly after the alert sounds at 3pm to reassure us and check we are ok
- have calming activities on hand such as knitting or some happy music to play
- reminding each other that the alert will go off loudly even if the phone is on mute
If you have a second hidden phone
Those who may need to have a hidden second phone (for instance people experiencing domestic abuse who worry that an abusive family member is controlling their main phone) may need to be reminded that a concealed second phone will make a loud noise even when switched to silent. This means it could be discovered by an abuser in earshot.
People in this situation may wish to switch off a hidden device shortly before 3pm. For anyone in an abusive situation who would like to watch a video on how to turn off alerts for an Android phone or an iphone, or seeking general advice on securing location and privacy settings on devices, please see refugetechsafety.org (surfing safely so abusers are unable to trace the websites we visit on a device they may be able to access)