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Hernando Today

Care Line Making The Personal Connection

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By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: January 22, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Deputy Jim Powers circled the house, banging on windows and doors.

He was trying to determine if anyone was home after a neighbor called authorities to say the homeowner hadn't picked up his paper from the driveway recently.

When Powers rapped on the back bedroom window, someone responded with a moan. That's all the encouragement Powers needed. The deputy broke the window glass and hurried inside to find an elderly gentleman lying on the bedroom floor. He was pinned beneath a mattress and a chest of drawers.

Powers called for medical assistance and the man was given the care he needed. Even years later, the episode is a poignant reminder for Powers, now a sergeant, about the urgent need for programs such as Care Line.

Care Line is a free service at the sheriff's office that offers a little extra protection for vulnerable citizens who live alone. It works like this: Participants sign up and promise to call a designated number between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. If they forget - or are lying incapacitated on the floor - an operator calls their home to check on the participant.

If no one answers, a listed friend or neighbor is called to determine whether they've had any recent contact with the subscriber.

If that doesn't resolve the situation, a deputy goes to the home and is authorized to walk inside and check on the resident.

But it's more than a check-up service. The clerks that take the daily calls develop relationships over time with the Care Line subscribers. When one of the operators calls in sick, the callers will ask after her health, Powers said. Initial home inspections often become social calls. Bob Bestercy is a volunteer who visits the home of folks who sign up for Care Line.

His primary intention is to check for tripping hazards and general welfare, but he often finds himself sitting down for coffee and cookies, too. He's even been asked to hang up drapes.

Care Line is similar to a medical alert, but Bestercy cautions against canceling that service. The sheriff's office is only going to be checking on someone in the morning, so you're on your own for hours if an injury happens after that and you can't get to a phone, Bestercy said.

Powers has found that Care Line also provides some peace of mind for grown children whose parents live in Hernando County. Knowing that someone is looking out for their parents is always reassuring, Powers said. There are currently 99 subscribers on the west side of the county, 11 on the east side. The service is open to anyone in need, but about 90 percent are over the age of 50.

While Powers has his own experience to validate Care Line, the service most recently proved its worth on Dec. 23. After all the phone calls were exhausted, a deputy went to check on the resident and found her lying on the floor. Paramedics were summoned and the woman rescued.

"That's what it's all about," Powers said.

For More Information

Anyone interested in signing up or learning more about Care Line can contact the sheriff's office at 754-6830.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

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