Is there an agency or group that calls elderly individuals on a daily basis to make sure they are basically alright?

Repeating my earlier post .. plus..
There just is no substitute for a person to person wellness check.

My sister Marion had a fall alarm pennant. It did not rescue her.
My wellness phone call resulted in the police finding her.

{Q} Having recently made a wellness check phone to a 93 year old sister. M lived alone in a housing authority apartment.
I called her every day around supper time, short touch base calls. Often she would have gone to bed.

One night I called, no answer, probably in bathroom, waited a few minutes and repeated call. No answer, assumed she had go to bed for night.
Next morning I called again. No answer. I called 911 and requested a wellness check. They responded along with housing security. Police Found her on floor in bad shape. Transported her to ER. Died two day later. {End Quote}

The rescue alarm did not help. Motion sensors would not have helped. It takes a People to initiate a check.

We need a formal scheduled manned wellness checking system with a person making the check. KISS applies.
The wake up services that make phone calls seem to be a logical source of wellness calls. Maybe they don't want the added responsibility.

Way back in the 70's my grandmother was the "Sunshine" woman for the local senior citizen club in our town. She would call members who had missed meetings as well as calls to shut-ins in the community. Certainly start there in your town, who knows there might be a program already in place!

It would be a fantastic idea, but like most things "today", if there is no $$$ benefit, then no one cares...............so sad..................

Maybe the local senior center, where seniors play cards and bingo and such. A phone list could be made by the office personnel at the center, and divided among volunteers.

Part of the "play time" could be performing such calls. They get together for breakfast and lunch here locally.

It could be printed in the form of a checklist, where there was an answer, or not.

I tell you, it is a GOOD idea...........if there are benefit$ for the one$ involved.

M 8 8 - - - - It really should / could be part of the subscription / fees for the monitoring companies. Asking them if they would cannot hurt. It would keep them busy, and if one is paying for a service, why not get more for the $$$ ?

Anyway, just here thinking out loud. M 8 8

Then again, there's HIPPA......

:^(

Mulata88......please explain {Then again, there's HIPPA......}. as it applies to a wellness call services.

Yes UncleDave I too cant see how HIPPA would come into play after all you are not sharing medical info just sharing if someone picks up the phone. Interesting conversation. Also the person who has the movement monitoring system could you pls share the name without that its of no help.

I had suggested that a list of the names and numbers could be given to the senior citizens that get together daily to play games and such. But there is a problem with HIPPA because of disclosure of personal data, get it?

M88

Source HIPAA: “Health information means any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that–
{Q}(A) is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse; and
(B) relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of any individual, the provision of health care to an individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual.”{end Q}
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Short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA provides national standards to protect the privacy of personal health information. To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, Public Law 104-191, included "Administrative Simplification" provisions that required HHS to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions. Congress incorporated into HIPAA provisions that mandated the adoption of Federal privacy protections for individually identifiable health information. [Source: HIPAA Overview (PDF0
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HIPAA applies to businesses and health care organizations.
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HIPAA, or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, laws don't apply only to health care organizations --- they also apply to small businesses that aren't in the health care industry. A small business administers health insurance plans, as well as other health-related benefits and information about employee health conditions, which the business must secure according to HIPAA guidelines.
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If someone wants to share your health information, you have to give your formal consent.
You have the right to complain to HHS about violations of HIPAA rules.
Health information is to be used only for health purposes. Without your consent, it can't be used to help banks decide whether to give you a loan, or by potential employers to decide whether to give you a job.
When your health information gets shared, only the minimum necessary amount of information should be disclosed.
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WebMD is a good place to visit to put HIPAA rules into perspective.
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HIPAA is very complex. So are the privacy and security initiatives that must occur to reach and maintain HIPAA compliance. Organizations need a quick, concise reference in order to meet HIPAA requirements and maintain ongoing compliance.
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Knowledge networks such as this one are not concise references nor is the information shared here to be considered accurate or reliable.

A phone call to see if a person needs assistance is a tad beyond HIPAA imco. However be aware that health information is private.