Lifeline
Lifeline is a Genesis VNA service that provides security at push of a button.
Time and again, Kathy McCollom’s life has been saved with the help of a special pendant she wears around her neck.
The 54-year-old lives alone, disabled by uncontrollable diabetes that occasionally, with little warning, causes her to pass out and threaten to slip into a diabetic coma. It’s during these life-threatening situations that her pendant – part of a personal emergency response system called Lifeline -- provides the link to immediate assistance and medical help.
Sometimes, she is able to push the necklace’s “personal help button” before she collapses. Even when she is too disoriented to speak and ask for help, however, a lifeline of support is set into motion.
Other times, as was the case a couple of weeks ago, she passed out before she could push the button that signaled her need for help. Lucky for her that Lifeline checks on her every 12 hours. On that particular day, she failed to push the reset button on her Lifeline emergency communication system at the designated time, signaling to staff that she could be in trouble.
That triggered a series of responses that eventually brought paramedics to her apartment. When she didn’t answer the door, emergency crews broke through a window; found her collapsed on the floor; and rushed her to Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, where she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for several days.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that I owe my life to Lifeline,” McCollom said. “It has saved my life several times. If I didn’t have this service, I could pass out and I don’t believe I would be found in time to get the medical attention I need. Lifeline checks on me every 12 hours, without fail.”
Help in an Emergency
Lifeline, administered by Genesis VNA and Hospice, is an emergency communication system that uses electronic equipment, highly trained staff and relatives, friends and neighbors to form a link for immediate assistance when people need it. With Lifeline, people like McCollom can live in their home free of fear and isolation in case of emergency.
It’s the sole reason she hasn’t had to move in with her two grown children or live in an assisted living facility, she said. Instead, she can maintain her independence; not have to disrupt her family’s lives; and has more confidence in her ability to live alone with a precarious health condition.
She treasures her independence, and Lifeline provides freedom. She can maintain her daily routine, rest assured that she will receive prompt attention if an emergency arises.
“Lifeline provides a 24-hour connection so people can live at home independently and with peace of mind,” said Sally Hogue, Provider Relations Coordinator for Genesis VNA and Hospice, which provides the service of Lifeline Systems, Inc.
“Lifeline originated years ago mainly for frail elderly people who were alone and tended to fall. Now, more and more people are using it as a security device, too. They live alone; they don’t know their neighbors; and they want the confidence and peace of mind of knowing that someone is always there at the push of a button.
Hogue added, “About 97 percent of our calls for help are non-emergent. Someone will call at 2 a.m. alone and afraid and just want to make sure someone is listening.”
Easy to Use
Lifeline begins in the home with two pieces of equipment -- a basic unit or telephone that automatically dials the Lifeline Response Center, and a lightweight, wireless transmitter in the form of a necklace or bracelet that is worn at all times and serves as a “personal help button.”
Whenever help is needed, day or night, people simply press the personal help button, which signals the Lifeline Response Center. Immediately, a specially trained personal response associate makes voice contact; reviews the individual’s personal and medical profile; assesses the situation; and then notifies the appropriate support and medical response team.
The Lifeline unit works as an intercom system, so if the subscriber is near the unit, he or she can let Lifeline staff know what is needed. If needed, they will contact an ambulance or the subscriber’s designated first “responder,” a family member, friend or neighbor whose name has been provided in advance. If the person is unable to verbally communicate with Lifeline, the first “responder” will be automatically contacted.
The Lifeline unit works around the clock from anywhere in the home at a range of about 800 feet – a distance that exceeds that of other systems on the market, Hogue said.
“One of the best-kept secrets about the system is that when you push your personal help button, it acts as a speaker phone,” Hogue said. “A lot of our clients are either in a walker or spend most of the day in the recliner. The phone is important to their socialization, so when they get a call they often rush to get to the phone and that’s when falls happen. With Lifeline, they can push their button and say, “Hello.” They don’t need to get up because their voice is audible within a radius of about 800 feet.”
There are more than 700 Lifeline units in homes throughout the Quad City-area through Genesis VNA & Hospice’s Lifeline program, Hogue said. Lifeline’s early intervention has been shown to reduce mortality, complications and re-admission to the hospital.
The reset button is an excellent option for people who are isolated or seriously ill, Hogue said. However, many Lifeline users choose to have the reset button deactivated.
Lifeline also offers a CarePartner Telephone option with larger number buttons and personalized reminders to help manage medications, diet and doctor appointments.
“From the Lifeline staff to the Genesis Visiting Nurses and the emergency medical technicians, police and firefighters who have come to my rescue on many occasions, I’m extremely grateful,” McCollom said. “I’ve received wonderful care.”
Supporting Families
John Clarke, 83, lives with his daughter and spends most of his day in his wheelchair. When she’s at work during the day, Lifeline provides both father and daughter some extra reassurance.
“I’m not able to walk,” Mr. Clarke of Davenport explained. “I’ve been in a wheelchair for about a year after two knee replacements. It makes me feel good to know that it’s there for me.”
His daughter, Mary Clarke, a registered nurse and Informatics Nurse Specialist at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, likes knowing the Lifeline service is there. “We got Lifeline after my mom passed away in April,” she said. “Both she and my dad lived with me and my husband. Although she couldn’t necessarily provide my father’s care, she was there with him during the day to call one of us if he needed someone.”
After her mother’s death, Lifeline became the solution to the family’s concerns for her father’s welfare. Although family members come to the house to check on him during the day, he is mostly home alone while she and her husband, Chuck, are at work.
“Lifeline provides that extra security, and it’s a great comfort to know he can press a button and Lifeline will alert us as well as get him immediate help if he needs it.”
Learn More
For more information about the Lifeline program through Genesis VNA and Hospice, please contact Amanda Martin at 563-349-9683. Once you subscribe, a local installer will come to your home, assess your situation, and educate you/family on how to use the system.
The cost with private pay insurance is $37 a month, with a one-time installation fee of $70 (installation fee is waived with a Genesis coupon). Government-assisted individuals on an elderly waiver are covered. We recommend all interested parties to contact your insurance company to determine if Lifeline is a service covered by your insurance company. The Genesis Health Services Foundation also has made it possible for at least 150 people in need to receive Lifeline services.
“We want everyone who could benefit from Lifeline to have the service and will do whatever we can to make that possible,” said Sally Hogue, Provider Relations Coordinator for Genesis VNA and Hospice.