On Monday, December 30th around 9:30 a.m., an 83 year-old Dedham resident who was unable to summon help for herself was rescued by the "Are you OK?" program operated by the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office, working in conjunction with a helpful neighbor, announced Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott from Dedham on Thursday, a few days after the incident.
The Norfolk County Sheriff's Office says the incident is the latest of several assists in the last few months linked to its free "Are you OK?" program.
In this most recent case, when the 83 year-old Dedham resident did not answer the office's automated check-in call, Norfolk County Sheriff's Officer Cheryl Bambery followed up with numerous personal calls. None of them received a response.
Officer Bambery then quickly called the woman's neighbor who has a key and lives in the same building as the woman. The neighbor is also a client of the Are you Ok? program. Officer Bambery requested that the neighbor visit Dedham woman who was not answering the office's calls.
“When the neighbor arrived, she found the 83-year-old very weak and unable to use the phone or move,” said Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott. “The woman was calling out, ‘I need help! I need help!’”
The neighbor immediately called 911 and the 83 year-old client was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. The client is now back home now after being cared for at a local hospital.
"Are you OK?" is a free program run by the sheriff’s office that offers calls to residents of Norfolk County who live alone and could use a check-in related to their health or well-being.
The Norfolk County Sheriff's Office says that in September last year, the "Are you OK?" program helped save an 80-year-old Canton woman. Law enforcement became alert when the Canton woman, who had fallen in her home, did not answer a call from Officer Bambery. After continuing to call the Canton resident, she answered on the third try.
The Sheriff's Office says Officer Bambery asked the Canton resident, “Are you OK?” to which the woman responded that she had fallen while coming down some stairs. “I am on the ground, and I cannot get up. I don’t think I hit my head, but I hurt my shoulder,”
she said.
In that case, Officer Bambery stayed on the phone with the Canton woman, and called police in Canton to provide assistance. The woman was then taken to the hospital to get some care.
“The ‘Are you OK?’ program is a proven lifesaver and I encourage anyone who could benefit from these calls to register with our ‘Are you OK?” program,” said Sheriff McDermott.
Norfolk County residents interested in signing up for the program can call 1-866-900-7865. More information is also available here: https://norfolksheriff.com/divisions/senior/areyouok.
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So nice that an event could be held for Ms. Duffy. I never dealt with her in my time at the parish that was then St. Denis, but I did want to recommend Boston’s St. Cecilia’s parish for folks looking for a non-Joan of Arc Catholic parish. My household has attended it since leaving St Denis about a decade ago.
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