Phone program helps elderly who live alone

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Phone program helps elderly who live alone

By Cliff Despres

The Plano Star Courier, 01 September 2003

Plano resident Jim Spradley enjoys working on crossword puzzles and spending time with his dog. The 79-year-old also logs plenty of time on his computer talking to friends via e-mail.

But, since he lives alone, no one would know if something happened to him during the night.

That's why his phone rings every day at 6 a.m.

An automated call arrives daily from the city of Plano, through its "Are You OK?" program, to check on Spradley's welfare. If the call goes unanswered twice, relatives and the police are notified.

"My wife died in 1996 and my son lives in Irving; I get that call every morning and they make sure I'm still here," said Spradley, who has gotten the call since 1997. "It's the greatest thing in the world for people who live alone."

The city has operated its "Are You OK?" call program for at least six years in an effort to verify the well-being of the city's senior citizen and disabled population who sign up to receive it.

More than 30 people get the call daily as part of the free service.

"The purpose is to make sure everything is alright with the resident," said City Councilwoman Sally Magnuson. "This also helps if someone falls and can't get to the phone, they would not lay there for too long before being found and cared for.

"This can provide great peace of mind for the individual and for friends and family who may not be able to maintain daily contact."

Here's how it works:

A participant's contact information is entered into an "RUOK" computer at the city's Emergency Operations Center in the Plano Municipal Center. Then, at a pre-determined time each day, a computer makes the call to the person.

When answered, a pre-recorded voice lets the participant know that this is his or her daily RUOK telephone call.

"It's intended for the housebound and senior citizens of our city who would appreciate a once-a-day check," said Ron Timmons, of the city's public safety department.

The daily call has to be answered by the participant. If it goes unanswered, the computer would make a second call.

If both calls go unanswered, a designated friend, relative or neighbor would then be contacted. If this person is unable to verify the location or safety of the participant, the police would be called in to check on the participant's welfare.

That's exactly the reason Spradley signed up for the program six years ago.
"I thought it would be nice that, if something happened to me, they'd call my son and then call police," he said. "I couldn't ask for anything better. It's the greatest thing since pockets on shirts."

City officials hope more people sign up for the "Are You OK?" program in the future.

"It's a very unique program," said Mayor Pat Evans. "It's something we're very proud of."