Telephone Reassurance

By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

As people age, life can become lonely, and people may feel isolated. Some elderly individuals don’t have family close by, and many have lost spouses and close friends. Adams County Senior Citizens Council, Inc. fills a much-needed gap with a service called “Telephone Reassurance.” Mary Stout, the Director, said, “It’s a wellness check.”

Chris Brooks of Senior Citizen Services is the voice of reassurance. Brooks completes an information sheet with essential data and birthdate when someone requests the service. She said, “I was the only person to wish one lady ‘Happy Birthday’ yesterday.” Each day she calls someone, she records how they are doing and if anything is happening. Brooks explained, “I let them talk.”

Brooks calls people on the service regularly as they request. Stout said, “They can call us if they choose. They can leave a message or call when we are here answering the phones.”

Brooks currently serves around 20 people. Some phone calls are relatively short, while others last up to an hour or more. Brooks may be the only person someone talks to in a day, and she wants to allow them time to chat. She shared, “Some of them have a family, but they don’t stay in contact with them. They look forward to somebody ringing their phones so they can have somebody to talk to for a while.”

Each person in the program has a contact person who checks on them should they miss their call. Recently, an older woman in the program, who was religious with her morning messages confirming her well-being, did not leave a message. Brooks immediately knew something was off and contacted the woman’s neighbor to check on her. They found the woman collapsed outside, had her transported to the hospital, padlocked her house, and locked her car. Stout said, “It depends on the person. Some are waiting on their phone call, and we would know immediately if something wasn’t right. It’s always important for us to have a good contact.”

If you or a loved one would like to have the Telephone Reassurance service, please get in touch with Chris Brooks at (937) 544-3979. Stout stated, “They can set it up however they want. If they want to call us and tell us they’re ‘okay,’ that’s fine. If they want us to initiate the phone call, that is perfectly fine.” She continued, “They are an at-risk population, and being able to check and make sure they are okay and brighten their day for whatever length of time is important.” Brooks said of a recent conversation with a lonely lady, “You might not be able to say anything to fix the situation, but the lady told her, ‘thank you so much for listening to me; it means a lot.’”

“You can’t help but get emotionally involved,” said Brooks. Some of the folks she serves tell her she’s the one they go to when they need to find something, and Brooks helps them find what they need the best she can. She concluded, “I enjoy calling and talking to them, and I care what happens to them.”

It’s reassuring that folks like Mary and Chris serve our senior population with compassion and care. A regular call from a friendly and familiar voice can make a difference.