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Summer 2007 AAMC, Lifeline Mark 25 Years In 1982, Anne Arundel General Hospital linked up with Lifeline, a telephone-response system that allows people living alone to signal for help by pushing a personal emergency button. Since then, Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Lifeline service has touched nearly 20,000 lives in this area, allowing individuals to maintain their independence, knowing that help is nearby. The AAMC Lifeline Program serves more than 560 people in Anne Arundel and Queen Anne’s counties and Bowie. Subscribers wear a waterproof personal help button, either as a wristband or neck pendant, and activate it if they need assistance. Subscribers have a small base unit attached to an electrical outlet and telephone jack. That speaker unit allows the subscriber to talk to an operator and request assistance. If the operator can’t hear the subscriber, a contact person is notified. If they can’t be reached, emergency help is alerted. AAMC’s medical staff approved $10,000 to start the program in 1982 and since the purchase of those first 35 Lifeline units, many local organizations have made contributions to maintain this program at a minimum cost to subscribers. For more information about Lifeline, call askAAMC at 443-481-4000. |
