Program stores emergency info Safe at Home is a database for elderly, people with disabilities.

Jennifer L. Boen

Jul. 16, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Harold West, a detective with the Allen County Sheriff's Department for nearly 23 years, knows how often someone calls 911 concerned about an elderly person or someone with disabilities. In one case, first responders went to a woman's home after her neighbors reported they hadn't seen her for several days, fearing she had fallen or died.

"The officer looked in the windows and couldn't see anything. The car was in the garage. He called his supervisor and then the fire department," said West, now retired. A firefighter was getting ready (OTCBB:GTRY) to break down the door when the woman's daughter arrived and informed them her mother had been in the hospital for several days.

So West began thinking about ways to use today's technology to prevent such incidents. Thus was born Safe at Home.

It works like this: A person or family member voluntarily completes a registration form with biographical information, doctor's name and a list of major medical conditions or physical disabilities. The power of attorney's name and phone number are listed, as are four emergency contacts or names of people with keys to the home. The information is entered into a computer system shared by police, fire and EMS services throughout Allen County.

When a 911 call regarding the well-being or whereabouts of someone comes into any emergency dispatch center in the county, the address of the person is entered into the system. Immediately the registrant's information is shown, including global positioning of the home. A call made by someone who is having a stroke or heart attack and who is registered with Safe At Home does not even have to speak into the phone.

"It's such a simple idea, but it can save a life," said Jean Joley, director of Volunteer Center @ RSVP, which is helping enter the information into the computer system. Some might wonder why this isn't already a national program, Joley said, noting West has already traveled to San Diego to share Allen County's Safe At Home system.

"They have volunteers there who call people on a regular basis," West said, but when officials heard about Safe at Home, "they were interested." Quipped Joley, "For once Indiana is ahead of what California is doing."

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Who's at risk

--About 8,000 residents in Allen County have a disability that limits mobility or self-care.

--In Allen County, 28 people died from accidental poisoning or noxious substances in 2005, the most recent year data are available.

--This year, about 1.2 million Americans will have a first or recurrent heart attack and 700,000 people with have a first or recurrent stroke.

--More than 30,000 U.S. people over age 65 are seriously injured in falls each week.

--Nearly half of the 2.5 million eye injuries incurred by Americans annually happen in and around the home.

--About 250 people die from falls each week, with nearly 60 percent of falls occurring in the home.

--Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for both men and women males and females 75 and older.

--The death rate from unintentional injuries in the home is approximately three times greater for older people than for the younger population.

--One study of burn patients age 60 and older found 63 percent did not get to a hospital until eight hours after being burned, and nearly 40 percent had no in-home first aid treatment for the burns.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Academy of Ophthalmology, National Safety Council, Consumer Product Safety Commission, American Heart Association, and Indiana Mortality Report 2005.

'Extra assurance'

Nick and Dorothy Heiny of Fort Wayne, who are 94 and 91, respectively, enjoy the comforts of the home they've shared for decades and have no intention of moving.

"We looked at some condos, but then we came back here and said, 'Let's not give up our extra bedrooms and all this space. Let's stay put.' We're not going to look at condos any more," Nick Heiny said. Active in local organizations serving older adults, he heard about Safe at Home, and he and Dorothy registered.

"We're lucky we have each other," Nick Heiny said. Although both are in relatively good health -- Dorothy still walks 3 miles a day and Nick treks around the block daily -- the Safe at Home program "is extra assurance in case we need it down the road," he said.

It's the same thinking he had when he bought a cane several years ago. "I don't need it now, but I might in the future," he said.

The Heinys' nine children -- three of whom live in the area -- check on the couple frequently, but Nick Heiny said, "The more people who know something about your whereabouts and your family, the safer you're going to be."

Safe at Home began slowly, Joley said, to ensure the system would work and that data was entered in a timely manner, but now organizers want to get the word out about it. Joley has been speaking at service club meetings, and neighborhood associations are beginning to request registration forms. About 500 people have registered so far, but Allen County's over-65 population numbers more than 22,000, according to the U.S. Census.

"The postal service is interested," West said, on delivering forms, which are currently available through the Allen County Council on Aging, Aging and In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana and all Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) pharmacies.

There are so many applications that "it ... is appropriate for everyone," West said. And for law enforcement, "the savings is immense," he added, noting some families with children with autism have registered, as have group-home providers for developmentally disabled people. "Our program will give us the information ahead of time to save that person."

Registering is free and can be done online or by mailing a form to RSVP's offices. Twice a year, registrants or their family members will receive calls to update information.

"The biggest problem is keeping it updated," Joley said. That's why RSVP is in need of computer-savvy volunteers to help with data entry. For the Heinys, Safe at Home provides one more layer of security. "We want to stay in our home as long as possible," Dorothy Heiny said.

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