Getting Help Silently

If you are in a situation where you cannot speak and ask for help, it is important to know about the following two options.

Hand Signal: “Signal for Help”

signalforhelp is a hand signal used to silently ask for help.

To make the gesture:

• Show the person you hope will help you your open palm.
• Fold your thumb into your palm.
• Close your remaining four fingers over your thumb to form a fist.

The gesture is explained in detail here: ‘Hand signal: I need help’ in the children’s newspaper and on YouTube: ‘Hand signal: I need help’.

The Nora Emergency App

At present, it is not possible to send an emergency message to the police at Germany’s emergency number 110 by SMS. However, the Nora emergency app makes it possible to contact emergency services silently by message.

If you’re often out and about on your own, consider installing the app so that you can silently ask for help in an emergency.

The app asks whether GPS location can be enabled when you make an emergency call. In this case, enabling location is important because you want emergency responders to be able to find you. In many other situations, however, we recommend against keeping GPS location enabled or sharing your location.