Lifeline Lives Up To Its Name
Sioux Cityan Myrna Carr rests easy knowing that emergency help, should she need it, is as close as the push of a button.
Carr, who shares a cozy Sioux City apartment with her calico cat, Callie, wears a Lifeline personal help button 24 hours a day. The lightweight, waterproof button, which wraps around her wrist like a watch, links her to the Lifeline personal emergency response system provided by St. Luke's Home Care.
"Getting Lifeline is the smartest thing I ever did," says the 80-year-old Carr. "I think anybody 60 or older should have it, even if they never have to use it. It's a great service."
Carr is one of nearly 500 residents of the tri-state region who subscribe to St. Luke's Lifeline Service, says Jean Cole, program coordinator.
"I have subscribers from age 50 to 99 who are still working and have health issues, who are retired and live alone or who are by themselves full- or part-time," Cole says, and who appreciate the reassurance of wearing a button on a pendant or wristband that connects them to emergency help through a two-way communications base in their home. The button has a range of up to 500 feet.
Carr became a Lifeline client following hip surgery several years ago. A phone call to St. Luke's Home Care connected her with the Lifeline staff, who gathered information on her emergency contacts and arranged for volunteers to install the unit in her house, test it and train her how to use it.
The button soon lived up to its name one night when Carr was stricken at home.
"I got up in the night and was dizzy," she recalls. "I started walking and hit the walls, hit the door and fell. I thought, 'my gosh, I can't call my daughter and I can't get up and reach the telephone.' So I punched this (Lifeline) button, and the ambulance came and helped."
When a subscriber pushes the button, a Lifeline emergency responder answers within seconds, asking the subscriber questions to assess the situation and send appropriate help. That could mean everything from calling a neighbor or family member to stop by to help the person up after a minor fall, or dispatching police, fire or ambulance for serious health concerns such as chest pain or an incapacitating fall. If the subscriber is unable to respond, the emergency responder sends emergency assistance.
"I tell my subscribers that Lifeline is OK to use for other emergencies than health emergencies," Cole notes.
She encourages them to push the button in other situations in which they need the help of someone on their Lifeline contact list, or the police, fire or ambulance, such as if they smell smoke or hear a noise that frightens them.
When Carr moved from her house to her apartment, she made sure St. Luke's Lifeline came along.
Lifeline came to her rescue a second time when, in August 2009, she sprained her ankle and fell to the kitchen floor. "My apartment has (emergency call light) strings in the bedroom and bathroom, but I could never have gotten to one of them," she says. "So I pressed my Lifeline button. " The Lifeline person asked if I was all right, and I could hear her clearly from the receiver in my bedroom. I said, 'no, I've fallen and there's something wrong with my arm.' They sent an ambulance, and it took me to the hospital."
Following a month of rehabilitation, she was able to return to her apartment. There, surrounded with photos of loved ones - her daughter and son-in-law, who live in Sioux City, her two grandsons, as well as her late husband, Warren, and late son, Wayne - Carr says that Lifeline is just one of the services offered by St. Luke's Home Care that help her maintain her independence and keep her comfortable in her own home. The home health agency also provides her with in-home nursing care, a bath aide, and homemaking services.
Independence and safety are what St. Luke's Lifeline is all about, says Cole. For a minimal monthly fee, subscribers receive the assurance of knowing help will be there, should they need it, at home. Financial assistance may be available for persons of certain income levels.
In most situations, Cole says, Lifeline can be installed within 48 hours by one of two volunteers - Gary Shaner or Phyllis Olson. The system requires a landline-based phone connection. A second personal help button can be provided for couples who both desire the service for a small additional fee.
To learn more about St. Luke's Lifeline Program, please call St. Luke's Home Care at (712) 279-EASY (3279).