Northwood News ♦ October 2018

State Senior Call Check Pilot Program Begun

By Melissa Ferguson

Seniors who live alone may benefit from a new State program.  The Maryland Department of Aging is piloting a program to telephone seniors once a day to check in on them.  Any Maryland resident age 65 or older who has a landline or cell phone can participate in the free program.

Every day a telephone call will be placed to a participant at a regularly scheduled time between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; users select a preferred one-hour time block.  If a participant does not answer after three tries, an emergency contact designated during program enrollment — such as an adult child or neighbor — will be called and encouraged to check on the older adult participating in the program.

Although the website registration is in English, calls to seniors can be made in other languages.

Signing up for the program is through the website at http://aging.maryland.gov/Pages/senior-call-check.aspx.  Or you can call 1.800.243.3425 to register.

[Ferguson lives on Hannes Street.]   ■