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When Arnold resident Florence Oliver, 77, was told by her doctor that she had suffered two light strokes, her family was alarmed. Oliver’s daughter, who lives in the Dogtown neighborhood of St. Louis, insisted on getting her mother a subscription to Lifeline, a medical monitoring service available through the American Red Cross.

“She figured it would be safer for me,” Oliver explained.

Although Oliver has six children who often check on her, she says she fells more at peace, now that she has Lifeline.

Maxine Hepper, Director of Health and Safety Services with the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross isn’t surprised. She’s heard those words before.

“For them (elderly clients), it’s their security and their safety so they can remain in their home longer,” said Hepper. “Many of them have had either an illness or have had a severe fall and they’re recuperating.”

The service works through a transmitter the client wears as a bracelet or necklace. The only thing a person must do to summon help in an emergency is to push the button on the transmitter. The signal then goes to a service center that alerts live monitors that there is a possible emergency. The center then contacts the subscriber by way of a call box in the client’s home.

“It’s unbelievable the sound that it can pick up. I could be back in my bedroom, and they can hear me all the way back there,” said Hepper, speaking from a client’s point of view.

If the monitor fails to hear the subscriber answer, they begin a process that could potentially save a life. First, they attempt to contact those on a pre-determined call list that might include the client’s family members, neighbors, or doctor. If none of the contacts can be reached to check on the client, emergency services are summoned.

If the subscriber is able to speak, they can advise the monitor about the problem and what kind of help they need, or they may ask them to call a neighbor or friend.

“We call EMS, we can call their doctor for them, we can do a lot of things. Until we know that a subscriber is fully taken care of, we don’t close out the call,” explained Hepper.

Although most subscribers are elderly, not all are. Younger clients who have physical disabilities often find the service useful, as do patients suffering terminal illnesses like latter-stage HIV, said Hepper. A mother of preemie twins subscribed to Lifeline until her new babies were older and healthier.

“There is a need out there in the community for people in those situations. You have a live person on the other line you can talk to day or night. People call for many different reasons and sometimes it is just someone to talk to,” Hepper said.

Connie Hutson, 53, of Imperial, was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis about 10 years ago. When her health began to decline two years ago causing her to suffer numerous falls, she opted to get service from Lifeline.

“My mother had one (a Lifeline monitor) because of falls,” Hutson recalled. “She always told me to get one because I fell all the time. With MS, my legs get weak and I go down. So they (monitors at Lifeline) are used to hearing from me.”

Hutson knows that when she presses her Lifeline button, within less than a minute’s time someone is speaking out of the communicator box asking her if she needs help. Although many of Hutson’s family members live nearby, her husband, Daniel, is gone during the day and she feels more secure knowing that within minutes, help can be on the way should she need it. She insists that the service is necessary and well worth the cost.

After a one-time activation and installation fee of $62.50, the client will pay monthly charges to keep Lifeline, which start at about $37.

“It’s wonderful,” said Oliver. “It’s extra safety no matter where you’re at in your house, in your yard, wherever. A lot of things happen when you’re out in your yard and can’t get back into the house and all. They’re wonderful, really. If you live by yourself, it’s the way to go.”

For more information about Lifeline, contact the American Red Cross headquarters in St. Louis at 314.516.2732.

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