Providing telephone reassurance for senior community members
Abstract
The Portage County RSVP Program in central Wisconsin has had a telephone reassurance program in place for many years. RSVP volunteers call seniors each weekday to check on their well being, and any concerns are referred to appropriate family members, RSVP staff, or other agencies. This telephone reassurance service assists the growing number of frail and poor seniors who live alone. Early intervention strategies such as this one may delay or prevent nursing home placement, which is more costly than community-based services.Issue
Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services census data indicated that people age 85 and over are the fastest growing segment of the population. This segment increased 30 percent between 1990 and 2000 and growth is expected to continue. The 2000 US Census estimates there are 971 people over 85 years old in Portage County. About 17 percent have income levels below the poverty level and 41 percent live alone. According to Department on Aging staff, many in this group are frail and need assistance to live at home. They are also most at risk of entering a nursing home where care is more costly to provide.Action
In an effort to provide support to this vulnerable population, RSVP volunteers provide telephone reassurance services.
The program:
Volunteers call program participants each weekday to check on their well being and report any concerns to RSVP staff, who then make referrals to family or other staff or agencies. To remove any barriers to participation, the service is offered at no charge to all seniors in the county.
The Portage County RSVP is able to locate seniors in their community with the assistance of their sponsoring agency, which is the local Department on Aging. It is recommended that other programs seeking to replicate this practice contact the Information and Assistance staff of their respective Departments on Aging, social workers with Health and Human Services, or hospital discharge planners to obtain contact information for seniors in their communities.
This program has expanded to offer assistance to non-senior adults with disabilities, who also benefit from telephone reassurance services.
In order to be a part of the program, participants complete a simple registration form. This form includes contact information which is helpful to staff in case a problem arises and there is a need for follow-up.
RSVP policy is to complete background checks when working with vulnerable populations, so Portage County RSVP does a state and local background check on all prospective volunteers. The RSVP assistant meets with new volunteers to review program policies and stress confidentiality. New volunteers sit in with an experienced volunteer once or twice until they are comfortable calling alone.
RSVP pays for the phone calls when made from the Lincoln Center office. However, about half of the volunteers make the calls from home and they are not automatically reimbursed. RSVP would be more than happy to offer assistance with the cost of calls if that would make calling prohibitive.
Daily procedures:
1. The Telecare calls are made from a desk in the volunteer office at Lincoln Center or from the volunteer's home. Volunteers calling from Lincoln Center check a clipboard for any messages regarding participants. Volunteers calling from home call RSVP first to see if there are any changes before beginning their calls.
2. Calls are made between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
3. If a participant indicates he/she will be gone the next day, a volunteer will write a note, sign and date it and attach it to the clipboard. If calling from home, volunteers will call RSVP staff and someone on staff will write a note for the volunteers who will be making the next day's calls.
4. Volunteers are instructed to use a warm, friendly voice when making the call and to announce themselves as soon as possible. Volunteers should spend as much time conversing as feels comfortable or appropriate. For many participants, this conversation may be the only one they have all day.
5. If a participant shares a problem or mentions a medical concern, volunteers give that information to RSVP staff and the project director or a staff member will follow-up. Referrals may also be made for assistance with meals, chore services, transportation, grocery delivery, or case management.
6. If there is no answer when calling, volunteers should double check the clipboard for a message. IF there is no message, then volunteers will continue trying to reach the senior or person with disabilities while completing other calls. If after completing all calls the participant hasn't been reached, the RSVP staff and/or project director will follow up.
7. Volunteers record the date and hours on their time sheets. If calling from home, RSVP staff records the volunteer's hours.
Context
Twenty volunteers with Portage County RSVP in Wisconsin provided 300 hours of service by calling program participants from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2001.
Early intervention may delay or prevent nursing home placement, which is more costly than community-based services. The average medical assistance payment for one year in a nursing home in Wisconsin is $36,000.
Outcome
Twenty-seven program participants who lived alone and had an average age of 85 received a daily telephone call to check on their well being. A total of 5000 calls were made during the year. In addition to the well being check, the volunteers also provided positive socialization to a frail population that often has little contact with the community.
As a result of this activity, at some time during the year, 50% of program participants will benefit from assistance provided by early intervention. This assistance may include referrals for meals, chore service, transportation, grocery shopping, medical care or case management. Early intervention may delay or prevent nursing home placement which is much more costly than community-based services.
Evidence
During the year, seven participants were referred for non-emergency medical intervention.Posted On
June 25, 2002For More Information
Resources
For more information see the telecare information document provided by Nan Hart, Executive Director, RSVP & The Volunteer Center, Green Mountain Foster Grandparent Program.Related Practices
Related sites
Portage County Department on Aging: RSVP