Program Gives Seniors Peace of Mind 24/7

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Even if a senior family member lives with you, there's no guarantee that they won't experience a problem that makes it difficult to call for help. One way that seniors can protect themselves - especially if they are living alone - is to sign up for the Pleasanton police department's RUOK Program. The RUOK Program is a system that calls seniors each morning to check on them. If everything is O.K., all they have to do is to pick up the phone and set it back on the cradle and they're checked off as being fine. If they don't respond or if they ask for help, arrangements are made to have the appropriate service respond, whether it's the police or an ambulance.

Another important program that has recently been launched in Pleasanton is intended to give seniors a means of calling for help in the event of a fall, medical emergency, or accident - day or night. The program is called P.O.M. (Peace of Mind) 24/7. "In the last year, I was aware of somewhere between eight and twelve people who had fallen in their living quarters where they couldn't reach a telephone," says Jack Dove, a local senior and a proponent of P.O.M. 24/7 and other senior service programs. "They had lain on the ground overnight in almost every case. What that brought up is the concern for how these seniors could get help when they needed it."

The solution P.O.M. 24/7 arrived at was to reach an agreement with Alta Bates-Summit LifeLine to provide Tri-Valley's senior residents with significant discount rates for its LifeLine Program. The LifeLine Program provides a call button on a necklace or a waterproof wristband. When the button is pressed, an operator answers immediately and stays on the line until any questions are answered or help arrives. The operator has access to the phone numbers of relatives, friends, or neighbors so that they can be contacted. Operators also have medical and any other pertinent information, which is relayed to the paramedics or others responding to the needs of the participant. P.O.M. 24/7 is available to any senior in the Tri-Valley area, which includes Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton The current price for the service is $30 a month. Arrangements are also being worked on to help bring the program to seniors who need financial assistance.

For information about the free RUOK Program, call 931-5100. For information about Peace of Mind 24/7, write to P.O. Box 1365 Pleasanton, CA 94566.

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