Sudbury Northern Life
The Sudbury Regional Hospital (HRSRH) Helpline service celebrates its 20th anniversary in December. From its first installment in 1988, the Helpline team has provided peace of mind to thousands of seniors with its 24-hour emergency response service.
The program is the only northern service provider – with 10 satellite locations – that specializes in medical emergencies and operates its own local bilingual response center around the clock.
Originally established as the Lifeline program, the service adopted the new name Helpline in 2001. The service is designed to promote independent living for seniors and is used by individuals concerned about their safety.
These include clients coping with or caring for a loved one with a chronic medical or physical condition; the recently bereaved; individuals being discharged from hospital; or anyone living alone, especially the elderly.
Subscribers are offered a device – worn on the wrist or as a pendant. With the push of a button in an emergency situation, a signal for help reaches the hospital’s response center. Experienced hospital staff access vital information and speak to the client via a two-way speaker. Within moments of contact, hospital staff dispatches the appropriate level of assistance for the client.
“As we reflect on the past 20 years, we are happy to have been able to help so many people with our service. We look forward to being here for our clients and helping more seniors throughout northeastern Ontario for many more years to come,” said France Spencer, Helpline team leader.
The response centre receives about 1,400 calls a month, which confirms the importance and need for this type of service throughout the northeast.
“With one in three seniors falling every year and 50 per cent of those accidents happening in the home, a service like Helpline becomes a key component for safe independent living,” Spencer said.
Helpline is available to all residents of northeastern Ontario for a monthly fee. For more information on the service or to volunteer for Helpline, call 523-7000 or 1-800-667-8019, or visit www.helplinesudbury.ca.
For more information on volunteering for Helpline, contact France Spencer at 523-7000 ext. 3006, or toll-free, 1-800-667-8019.
