NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

IRENE Caverly says her Home Emergency Response System has saved her lite on three occasions. The device enables Caverly and others to live alorie with the security that help is only a button-push away.

BRINGING HEALTH CARE INTO THE

Community Health Services 24 hour services include:

a Bathing & Personal Care 4 Housekeeping

HOME IS WHERE YOU WANT TO BE

It’s familiar, comfortable and full of memories, ‘| people, pets and belong- “Pings that make it special.

“9 Meal Programs Pas ‘Home Nursing ? Adult Day Programs Be Mentai Health Support @ Shopping & Errands

a Child Care

a

8 Support to Persons with Disabilities

When Caring Counts... bec” Call Us

983-6000

Goal : £150,000

Serving the N:S * Community Since 1963 North Shore Home Support Services wishes to thank all those who, » generously responded to. their recent request oe for donations. : e goal this year is to raise $150, 000 towards the of the new Adult: Day Centre. ‘o.date, the amount raised is $85,114. "ease ‘consider making a tax deductible contribution

tot ag. and worthwhile project.

Raised © §85,114—

By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer “HELP me! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

It’s a line from another in a long list of television com- mereials whose punch lines have crossed into everyday consciousness,

Maybe not up there with Nike’s “Just do it!” but cer- tainly on a par with the fat guy on Channel 12) who won't be undersald.

Perhaps it has something to do with the flat, amateur- ish delivery.

Or, maybe, the woman in question is not an actress at all and is re-enact- ing an emergency from her own life.

Either way, it’s not a laughing matter for West Vancouver — resi- dent Irene Caverly.

Caverly has heart — problems and has had to use her Home Emergency Response System (HERS) three times and says cach time it has been a potential life saver.

“[ had a bad fall and I couldn’: get up,” says 84- year-old Caverly without a trace of irony,

In fact, Caverly had a con- cussion and a broken foot.

“I was unconscious but when | woke up I pressed the button and they answered straight away.

“The ambulance was here in five minutes. It was won-

derful.”

The button Caverly has carried for six years ever since her first heart attack is a small transmitter that, when pressed, automatically acti- vates a dial unit attached to her phone.

The dial unit calls a response centre with a coded emergency message where a dispatcher has immediate voice contact, via speaker phone, with the caller,

The dispatcher will imme- diately call an ambulance, if required, and then call a rela- tive or designated responder to give the appropriate assis- tance.

Hillary King, Director of Program Development for

“Caverly has heart prob- lems and has had to use her Home Emergency Response System three times and says

each time it has been a potential life saver.”

North Shore Home Support says HERS provides security and independence cto those who live alone and who: Bare frail; & fear falling; @ are recovering fram sur- gery; @ are unable to reach the phone in an emergency. “People want to stay home, but many elderly peo- ple or their families are con- cerned how they can stay there safely,” says King. There are a number of home monitoring plans for

rent in the marketplace but HERS is the only non-profit system on the North Shore and is monitored locally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,

The program currently serves 410 subscribers with, on average, 228 new users requesting a home unit each year,

Units no longer required are returned to the office for servicing and cleaning by vol- unteers.

All of the equipment has been purchased through donations from the North Shore community with the result that the user only pays a dollar a day monitoring fee.

“The local service clubs have been particu- larly good,” says King.

“Whenever we've got low on our inventory they've always pitched in and we have never run out.” 2

North — Shore Home — Support Services staff the response — centre during the day- time, with Lions Gate’ Hospital covering from 10 p.m. until 8 a.m.

In nine months of this year to the end of September HERS has responded to 219 emergency calls,

By category they have been:

B fallen ~ 85;

B unwell - 72;

B unable to transfer - 28; @ other - 10;

B pain — 9;

@ heart problems ~9;

® shortness of breath — 5; & choking -1.

Retirement Living as it should be

In this frequently unsettling world, things can

change.

Plan ahead so you can continue tohave the. freedom to choose a lifestyle that fits your style, and the flexibility to set your own pace.

Call Tracey at 922 -7616 for a personal tour and

discover the freedom, security and quality of — Apartment Living at Hollyburn House.

HOLLYBURN HOUSE

Please call for more information. 2095 Marine Dr., West Vancouver

922-7616