Joan Fields called the home of an elderly Pasadena man at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
No one answered.
She then called a neighbor, who said he?d check on the man.
Thirty minutes later, the man called, saying he accidentally knocked out his phone line while moving a sofa.
“You feel as though you know these people, so you get concerned when you don?t hear from them,” said Fields, one of the 16 volunteers who regularly calls senior citizens and people with disabilities to make sure they made it through the night.
Telephone Reassurance is a 22-year-old program under the Anne Arundel Department of Aging.
Every day ? even holidays ? about 100 clients get a call from a volunteer who asks whether they are OK, usually between 7:30 and 10 a.m.
It also works in reverse, with the clients calling the Glen Burnie office at a designated time.
In some rare cases, clients have fallen in the middle of night, or even died, said Anna Dawson, an eight-year veteran of the program.
“They?re tickled to death when you call them, because sometimes it?s the only person they heard from,” Dawson said.
If no one answers the volunteer?s call, one of two alternate contacts with keys to the client?s house are roused and asked to check on the client.
If there is still no answer, the volunteer calls local hospitals. The last resort is the police, who are given advanced permission by the client to break into the house.
Only a few times have residents needed help, and about once a year someone dies during the night, said Trish McGarty, the county?s information technology director.
The program is ideal for senior citizens living alone or those who are bedridden, Dawson said. It also can provide peace of mind for family members who can?t always get the status of their elderly relatives.
“There have been times when my husband was ill or I had problems breathing, and they?ve reassured me and help me out,” said Gloria Mollman, 80, of Hanover.
WANT TO HELP?
The Telephone Reassurance program is looking for clients and volunteers for its free service. For more information, call Sheridan Tooson at the Anne Arundel Department of Aging at 410-222-4464.
