July 12, 2025 • 16 mins
When you're struggling or living alone, it can mean the world for someone to ask if you're okay. Seniors, people with disabilities or medical problems, and anyone else who is vulnerable in Norfolk County have access to a free program that provides frequent wellness checks when others may not be able to do so. Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott and NCSO Officer Cheryl Bambery are on the show this week to talk with Nichole about how the program works, why it matters, and how it's already being lauded for helping people in their time of crisis.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week right here, we come together and
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to have you
back with us this weekend. I'm Nicole Davis. Are you okay?
Those are three words that can be a huge relief
to hear when you're struggling. This is especially the case
(00:28):
for people with disabilities or seniors who live alone and
don't have people checking on them. The Norfolk County Sheriff's
Office has been helping out over the years with free
scheduled wellness checks. This is for anybody who needs somebody
once in a while to poke in a virtual head
and say you do it? Okay? Are you all right?
Over the years, the program has not only helped families
and friends keep tabs on vulnerable people, it has actually
(00:51):
helped to save lives. Let's talk more about it now.
Sheriff Patrick McDermott returns to the show for this along
with Officer Cheryl Bambrie. Thank you both for being here,
and you know, Sheriff, this is not a new program
in Norfolk County, but it's definitely getting more popular. These days.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So this is something that has been ongoing at the
Norfolk County Sheriff's Office for a number of years. I
inherited the program and something that was originally I think
brought up through the National Sheriff's Association and is Officer
Bambridge fact about the TRIAD program, which is a partnership
between councils on aging, local police departments and the Sheriff's Office.
(01:27):
And we were able to adopt this program many many
years ago with a partnership with Foullin Ambulance and the
program specifically is geared towards it's a free program geared
towards offering free phone calls check in calls to residents
of Norfolk County who are living alone and could use
(01:48):
a check in related to their health of their well being.
And so this program has been going on for a
number of years. We've had to adopt some technological updates
over the years as technology is changed. We did lose
our partnership with foul And Ambulance a few years ago
when they moved out of the territory, but we've continued
the program much under the leadership of Cheryl Bambury and her.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Team so Officer Banbury tell me a little bit then
about how this all works. If somebody's in Norfolk County
and they want their loved one to be enrolled, or
they think that they should be enrolled, how does the
process work.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So what we do is we go out and we
promote the program through counts on.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Aging different groups in the community, VNA's. We just try
to make you know, awareness of the program. And what
they do is they can give us a call. We
provide them with a toll free number and they call
us and they can sign up over the phone. Because
a lot of people, you know, have disabilities and aren't
able to you know, actually go to these places where
we present, so we just have them call here and
(02:47):
they can sign up via the telephone.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Okay. And it's not just the individual who can do that.
It could be somebody's family, it could be a caretaker, anybody.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
So the caregivers, we go to a lot of caregiver
groups and we speak to the those people.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
We go to hospitals and we speak to the.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Discharge nurses in the caseworkers in the hospital so they
can recommend somebody. A lot of the HESCO and people
like that that deliver meals, so anyone that they want
to recommend.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But a lot of the people, most.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Of the people join when they come to a presentation
and we actually sit there and fill out.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
The application with them when we.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Go because sometimes if you give them an application, you
find a lot of them don't fill it out and
they just you know, I'll do it later, one of
those things.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
But we've had great success going home presenting on the program.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And SRIF have you found that more and more people
are taking advantage of this Lately, we.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Find people once they hear about it, they do want
to take advantage of it. And specifically when we talk
about it, I talk a lot with families who do
have loved ones. And I often use my own example
of you know, having lost my mom when I was
nineteen and my dad was living at home alone. And
fortunately dad lived till he was about eighty five years old,
but the last few years he was struggling with COPD.
(03:59):
I had taken advantage of this program, and so when
families hear about it and they know they have a
loved one, and even if they're as dutiful as I
thought I was as a son, and my brother was
checking in with dad. You know, sometimes a day or
two goes by without having done that, and so when
you when you kind of share that experience with families,
they recognize that, even as dutiful as they are, sometimes
(04:22):
that checking doesn't occur. And when tragedy can occur, when
somebody falls or somebody's having a medical episode, timing is
of the essence. So this program really kind of excites
people because it gives them that added insurance that their
loved one is going to be taken care of and
for the individual themselves. Those people, as off as a
Banbury can testify to, that are participating on this program,
(04:45):
are extremely grateful sometimes with just the camaraderie of hearing
a live voice on a consistent call every day. But
it's the life saving opportunities that we're providing here and
the proof that lives have been save that makes this
program such a viable opportunity for people throughout go For County.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, Officer, tell me a bit about some of the
incidents that you personally have witnessed and some of the
lives that you've been able to help save. These are
incredible stories here that we have been hearing about this.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Yes, you know, it's a proven it's proven that the
RUOK program does work. So I the last save that
we have, we call it a save because we've gotten
them the help they needed when they need it. And
this woman did not answer her daily call. And she's
very very good about answering her call. She never misses
a call, so I found that strange. So we tried
(05:38):
her a couple of times. She did not answer. So
then we are provided with contacts. So I contacted her
niece and I said, you know your aunt's not answering,
is she with you?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Do you know where she'd be?
Speaker 4 (05:47):
And she said no, I don't, So I asked niece,
I said, well, how about if we call nine one
one and we have them do a well being check
for her. She agreed on that, and when we did
send them over to the woman's apartment, she was on
the ground when the ambulance arrived. The ambulance and the
police arrived and she was on the ground and they
transported to the hospital where they found out she had
(06:08):
a heart attack. So she just she actually just came
home from rehab last week and her niece was just
in her. She herself was so grateful, she said we
would have lost my aunt if we didn't have that
call come in every.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Day, Oh my gosh. And there's a story that I
really that really shook me out of Westwood, where you know,
this time year we have severe thunderstorms coming through, people
lose their power a lot. Tell me about this woman
who was really struggling but had no way to tell
you about it.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
So she's another one of the clients that have been
on the program for a few years. And she's very
you know, famously answers her call. And when she didn't answer,
I knew something was wrong. And her family doesn't live
in town. She has no one really that's close by,
so she's also very private. So I called the local
police because I know that's the protocol for her, and
they went right by her house and she was on
(07:00):
oxygen and she had lost her power and her phone
went out because her phone was plugged into you know,
the electrical so she had nothing.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
So when they got there, she had lost it.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
I'm not really sure what time in the morning, but
when they got there, they got her oxygen hooked up,
they got her phone working again, and they re established.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Her power source not as well.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
She was Yeah, she didn't have any oxygen, So she
was just struggling at that point.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, you know, Sheriff. I think a lot of people
who live alone, they are independent in many ways. But
it's things like that power outage, something wrong with the house,
even a slip in a fall. It's these little things
that can really make a big difference.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
The issue on this stuff is too Yeah, we talked
about these small matters that can actually create real tragedies.
You know, when we talk about the bigger issues like
fires or tragically like flood situations or things like that,
you know, those are the bigger issues we see on
the news all the time. But it's the simple issues
that happened in our house with Yeah, powerhouted, simple thing
(07:58):
like that. You don't realize it how many things get
powered by that by a power out is when it
comes to oxygen or phone calls, somebody's slipping and falling.
That's a classic thing, falling in the shower, having a
medical episode where you where you can't actually get up
off the ground. And these are these are the things
that I always talk about. Timing is of the essence.
(08:19):
And so when Cheryl Bambury gets on the phone and
she realizes somebody hasn't returned or checked in with their
particular phone call. That and that emergency response is so
incredibly valuable because first responders can get there quickly do
that well. Being checked. You know people you know who
(08:40):
fall and possibly we've had a medical episode twenty four hours,
forty eight hours tragically turns into a to a call
to the coroner's office. And so that's that's the sad part.
This program saves lives because we're in touch with people
on a daily basis. And what's great about the program
(09:00):
is that it's at the convenience of the of the participant.
They select the time of the day that they want
that phone call. We monitor the call. I think Officer
Bambery will also testify sometimes even it's on the monitoring
of calls. Sometimes it's not a person that's truly in
a in a direct medical episode, but she's often experienced
(09:22):
people who have either been confused or sometimes are depressed,
or there's other issues that come up with people that
that call is a reassuring call for them, that there's
that human connection that takes place on a daily basis,
and that's really powerful for people, especially those that don't
have loved ones that check in with them on a
consistent basis. We become their family.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Yeah, an officer Bamber. You know, life alerts are a thing,
but they're expensive and a lot of seniors are living
on a very tight budget and a lot of us
these days in general, or on a tight budget. So
knowing that this is available for them through the Norfolk
County Sheriff's Office, tell me what you've been hearing from
people who are rolled in this program and how it's
been able to help them in that regard.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Well, they love the.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
Program so much and a lot of them they you know,
it's the only call they get all day or all week,
especially if they are live alone, and they just you know,
hearing someone's real voice.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
It's not you know, it's it's a sense of connection.
Like we call them on their birthdays and just you know,
and it's like, oh my god, how did you know?
And like years ago they have given us their birthday.
But it's the little things that matter, and that's why
where you know, the sheriff has afforded us the opportunity.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
To be able to do this with the seniors. You know,
they love it.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
You know, we have a couple on the program that
the gentleman has his wife has dementia, and he said, Cheryl,
if she ever answers the call, call nine one one,
because that means something has happened to me. And you know,
it's just like little things that you wouldn't think of,
things that happen like that. And yeah, I always say
that the lifeline is a great thing to have, but
if you're unconscious, how can you push that right?
Speaker 3 (10:55):
But anything that will keep you safe, you know, why
not have it? That's what I say to them.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
It's you know, that's the biggest cause of losing your
independence is if you suffer a fall and you're in
the hospital and then you go to rehab, say, I
don't want to be a burden. Well, you know, it's
not that you're going to be a burden, but it's
more work for your family when you're in a hospital
or you know, they have to take care of things
at home while you're rehabbing.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You know, absolutely, Sheriff, have you heard of any other
sheriffs and surrounding counties other parts of the Commonwealth who
have seen the success of this program and want to
make it happen in there part of the state.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Pret Masthachusetts Service Association. I'm kind of a big test
case here, so we've had the program for number of
years and we're looking to roll this out to any
sheriff's office that I might be interested. We're in the
process of now revamping the program, upgrading the technology piece
so that we can expand it to include a lot
more people on it. Right now, it's technology driven, but
(11:48):
also people driven, so those and there's a cost factor
there that we need to make sure that we can absorb.
And we can do that creatively by getting help from
our friends in the nonprofit community and the private set
to help donate funds to run the programs. So we're
going to be expanding this and I'm going to share
it with my colleagues around the state and come wealth.
(12:09):
I think it's a valuable program that any public safety
agency could adopt under the great circumstances. Who's going to
put together And we've seen the success in other places
around the country too, And to not adopt something like
this I think would be unfortunate because I think it
really does save lives and it is something we talk
(12:30):
about the seniors too. I just want to make sure
there's a piece involved here too. We talk about seniors
and people with disabilities, but it really is for anybody
that might be living alone. You know, a slip and
fall could happen to a healthy thirty two year old
and absence somebody checking in with them, you know, you
could have a tragedy unfold. So this is really for
anybody that might just want that daily check in. It's
(12:53):
very convenient. It's not inconvenience for people to get that
quick call and check in. So it really is for
anybody as an extra insurance for their personal safety in
their home.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
All right, beautiful again, Quick call Officer Banbury. How long
of a call are we talking here? Two minutes, five
minutes or just a few seconds?
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Fourteen seconds? That seconds from start to finish.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
If they don't answer the first time, we'll call them
back five minutes later. They don't answer the second time,
we call them back another five minutes later, well the
computer does, and then if they still don't answer, the
computer will issue me an alert. But I will try
them up to thirty minutes, and if I do not
get a response from anybody within thirty minutes in.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
That thirty minute time period, I'm contacting a local.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Hospital to see if they've been admitted, and I'm calling
the contacts that they have provided me to see if
they're with them. And last reason is to call the
police to do a well being check. But all of
those that's the protocol we go through and it's worked
out very well.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Officer. I cannot even imagine how rewarding this must be
and the relationships that you've been able to make over
the years with this program. What does this mean to
you to be essentially at the front of this program
with the sheriff.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
It's you know, I'm just so glad that I'm able
to do this and that the sheriff has given me
this opportunity to do this. I worked inside for five
years and when this opportunity came up.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
I'm an old soul and I love working with people
and talking with them, and I mean, I'm friends with
so many of the family members and the givers of
these people. And it's like sometimes they'll call me and say, O, well,
my mom didn't answer today when I called her, Do
you know where she is?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
And I said, oh, well, yes, I know. She was
going on a day trip with the Senior Center or something.
So it works both ways. But It's just I love
what I do and I just wish that more people
had the advantage to do this.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
And they love it, they appreciate it, and it just
means so much.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
It was invaluable during COVID because we were the only
contact they had to the outside world.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
It was great, Well Sheriff, How can people get involved?
How can people get their family signed up for this service?
And where can people find out more about this?
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Best way to get involved is to give us a call.
We have a toll free number eight six six nine
zero zero seven eight six five and you can call up.
You'll probably talk to Cheryl directly so she can get
you signed up on the program. We have some information
online if you go to Norfolk sheriff dot com, check
in on our senior page and just look at up
(15:19):
the RUOK program to get some more information and you
can sign up and either sign up yourself or sign
up somebody that is a loved one, check in with them,
let them know that we're doing it. But we think
that everybody should join this program that is eligible for it.
We are expanding the program and I just you know,
as things go on the next ten years, we're watching
(15:41):
as we call the Silver Tsunami. There is a number
of people who are becoming of senior age and we're
going to watch it over the next ten to fifteen years,
a lot of people who are living longer but also
living alone increase. So that's why we're beefing up the program,
investing in technology, investing in the people in Northfork County
to make sure that they are okay Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Sheriff Patrick McDermott, Officer Cheryl Bambury, thank you so much
for all the work you're doing for our seniors and
everybody living alone in Norfolk County and all the best
as the program gets bigger and better.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week right here, we come together and
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to have you
back with us this weekend. I'm Nicole Davis. Are you okay?
Those are three words that can be a huge relief
to hear when you're struggling. This is especially the case
(00:28):
for people with disabilities or seniors who live alone and
don't have people checking on them. The Norfolk County Sheriff's
Office has been helping out over the years with free
scheduled wellness checks. This is for anybody who needs somebody
once in a while to poke in a virtual head
and say you do it? Okay? Are you all right?
Over the years, the program has not only helped families
and friends keep tabs on vulnerable people, it has actually
(00:51):
helped to save lives. Let's talk more about it now.
Sheriff Patrick McDermott returns to the show for this along
with Officer Cheryl Bambrie. Thank you both for being here,
and you know, Sheriff, this is not a new program
in Norfolk County, but it's definitely getting more popular. These days.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So this is something that has been ongoing at the
Norfolk County Sheriff's Office for a number of years. I
inherited the program and something that was originally I think
brought up through the National Sheriff's Association and is Officer
Bambridge fact about the TRIAD program, which is a partnership
between councils on aging, local police departments and the Sheriff's Office.
(01:27):
And we were able to adopt this program many many
years ago with a partnership with Foullin Ambulance and the
program specifically is geared towards it's a free program geared
towards offering free phone calls check in calls to residents
of Norfolk County who are living alone and could use
(01:48):
a check in related to their health of their well being.
And so this program has been going on for a
number of years. We've had to adopt some technological updates
over the years as technology is changed. We did lose
our partnership with foul And Ambulance a few years ago
when they moved out of the territory, but we've continued
the program much under the leadership of Cheryl Bambury and her.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Team so Officer Banbury tell me a little bit then
about how this all works. If somebody's in Norfolk County
and they want their loved one to be enrolled, or
they think that they should be enrolled, how does the
process work.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So what we do is we go out and we
promote the program through counts on.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Aging different groups in the community, VNA's. We just try
to make you know, awareness of the program. And what
they do is they can give us a call. We
provide them with a toll free number and they call
us and they can sign up over the phone. Because
a lot of people, you know, have disabilities and aren't
able to you know, actually go to these places where
we present, so we just have them call here and
(02:47):
they can sign up via the telephone.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Okay. And it's not just the individual who can do that.
It could be somebody's family, it could be a caretaker, anybody.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
So the caregivers, we go to a lot of caregiver
groups and we speak to the those people.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
We go to hospitals and we speak to the.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Discharge nurses in the caseworkers in the hospital so they
can recommend somebody. A lot of the HESCO and people
like that that deliver meals, so anyone that they want
to recommend.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But a lot of the people, most.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Of the people join when they come to a presentation
and we actually sit there and fill out.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
The application with them when we.
Speaker 4 (03:21):
Go because sometimes if you give them an application, you
find a lot of them don't fill it out and
they just you know, I'll do it later, one of
those things.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
But we've had great success going home presenting on the program.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And SRIF have you found that more and more people
are taking advantage of this Lately, we.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Find people once they hear about it, they do want
to take advantage of it. And specifically when we talk
about it, I talk a lot with families who do
have loved ones. And I often use my own example
of you know, having lost my mom when I was
nineteen and my dad was living at home alone. And
fortunately dad lived till he was about eighty five years old,
but the last few years he was struggling with COPD.
(03:59):
I had taken advantage of this program, and so when
families hear about it and they know they have a
loved one, and even if they're as dutiful as I
thought I was as a son, and my brother was
checking in with dad. You know, sometimes a day or
two goes by without having done that, and so when
you when you kind of share that experience with families,
they recognize that, even as dutiful as they are, sometimes
(04:22):
that checking doesn't occur. And when tragedy can occur, when
somebody falls or somebody's having a medical episode, timing is
of the essence. So this program really kind of excites
people because it gives them that added insurance that their
loved one is going to be taken care of and
for the individual themselves. Those people, as off as a
Banbury can testify to, that are participating on this program,
(04:45):
are extremely grateful sometimes with just the camaraderie of hearing
a live voice on a consistent call every day. But
it's the life saving opportunities that we're providing here and
the proof that lives have been save that makes this
program such a viable opportunity for people throughout go For County.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, Officer, tell me a bit about some of the
incidents that you personally have witnessed and some of the
lives that you've been able to help save. These are
incredible stories here that we have been hearing about this.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Yes, you know, it's a proven it's proven that the
RUOK program does work. So I the last save that
we have, we call it a save because we've gotten
them the help they needed when they need it. And
this woman did not answer her daily call. And she's
very very good about answering her call. She never misses
a call, so I found that strange. So we tried
(05:38):
her a couple of times. She did not answer. So
then we are provided with contacts. So I contacted her
niece and I said, you know your aunt's not answering,
is she with you?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Do you know where she'd be?
Speaker 4 (05:47):
And she said no, I don't, So I asked niece,
I said, well, how about if we call nine one
one and we have them do a well being check
for her. She agreed on that, and when we did
send them over to the woman's apartment, she was on
the ground when the ambulance arrived. The ambulance and the
police arrived and she was on the ground and they
transported to the hospital where they found out she had
(06:08):
a heart attack. So she just she actually just came
home from rehab last week and her niece was just
in her. She herself was so grateful, she said we
would have lost my aunt if we didn't have that
call come in every.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Day, Oh my gosh. And there's a story that I
really that really shook me out of Westwood, where you know,
this time year we have severe thunderstorms coming through, people
lose their power a lot. Tell me about this woman
who was really struggling but had no way to tell
you about it.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
So she's another one of the clients that have been
on the program for a few years. And she's very
you know, famously answers her call. And when she didn't answer,
I knew something was wrong. And her family doesn't live
in town. She has no one really that's close by,
so she's also very private. So I called the local
police because I know that's the protocol for her, and
they went right by her house and she was on
(07:00):
oxygen and she had lost her power and her phone
went out because her phone was plugged into you know,
the electrical so she had nothing.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
So when they got there, she had lost it.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
I'm not really sure what time in the morning, but
when they got there, they got her oxygen hooked up,
they got her phone working again, and they re established.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Her power source not as well.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
She was Yeah, she didn't have any oxygen, So she
was just struggling at that point.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, you know, Sheriff. I think a lot of people
who live alone, they are independent in many ways. But
it's things like that power outage, something wrong with the house,
even a slip in a fall. It's these little things
that can really make a big difference.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
The issue on this stuff is too Yeah, we talked
about these small matters that can actually create real tragedies.
You know, when we talk about the bigger issues like
fires or tragically like flood situations or things like that,
you know, those are the bigger issues we see on
the news all the time. But it's the simple issues
that happened in our house with Yeah, powerhouted, simple thing
(07:58):
like that. You don't realize it how many things get
powered by that by a power out is when it
comes to oxygen or phone calls, somebody's slipping and falling.
That's a classic thing, falling in the shower, having a
medical episode where you where you can't actually get up
off the ground. And these are these are the things
that I always talk about. Timing is of the essence.
(08:19):
And so when Cheryl Bambury gets on the phone and
she realizes somebody hasn't returned or checked in with their
particular phone call. That and that emergency response is so
incredibly valuable because first responders can get there quickly do
that well. Being checked. You know people you know who
(08:40):
fall and possibly we've had a medical episode twenty four hours,
forty eight hours tragically turns into a to a call
to the coroner's office. And so that's that's the sad part.
This program saves lives because we're in touch with people
on a daily basis. And what's great about the program
(09:00):
is that it's at the convenience of the of the participant.
They select the time of the day that they want
that phone call. We monitor the call. I think Officer
Bambery will also testify sometimes even it's on the monitoring
of calls. Sometimes it's not a person that's truly in
a in a direct medical episode, but she's often experienced
(09:22):
people who have either been confused or sometimes are depressed,
or there's other issues that come up with people that
that call is a reassuring call for them, that there's
that human connection that takes place on a daily basis,
and that's really powerful for people, especially those that don't
have loved ones that check in with them on a
consistent basis. We become their family.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Yeah, an officer Bamber. You know, life alerts are a thing,
but they're expensive and a lot of seniors are living
on a very tight budget and a lot of us
these days in general, or on a tight budget. So
knowing that this is available for them through the Norfolk
County Sheriff's Office, tell me what you've been hearing from
people who are rolled in this program and how it's
been able to help them in that regard.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Well, they love the.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
Program so much and a lot of them they you know,
it's the only call they get all day or all week,
especially if they are live alone, and they just you know,
hearing someone's real voice.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
It's not you know, it's it's a sense of connection.
Like we call them on their birthdays and just you know,
and it's like, oh my god, how did you know?
And like years ago they have given us their birthday.
But it's the little things that matter, and that's why
where you know, the sheriff has afforded us the opportunity.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
To be able to do this with the seniors. You know,
they love it.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
You know, we have a couple on the program that
the gentleman has his wife has dementia, and he said, Cheryl,
if she ever answers the call, call nine one one,
because that means something has happened to me. And you know,
it's just like little things that you wouldn't think of,
things that happen like that. And yeah, I always say
that the lifeline is a great thing to have, but
if you're unconscious, how can you push that right?
Speaker 3 (10:55):
But anything that will keep you safe, you know, why
not have it? That's what I say to them.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
It's you know, that's the biggest cause of losing your
independence is if you suffer a fall and you're in
the hospital and then you go to rehab, say, I
don't want to be a burden. Well, you know, it's
not that you're going to be a burden, but it's
more work for your family when you're in a hospital
or you know, they have to take care of things
at home while you're rehabbing.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You know, absolutely, Sheriff, have you heard of any other
sheriffs and surrounding counties other parts of the Commonwealth who
have seen the success of this program and want to
make it happen in there part of the state.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Pret Masthachusetts Service Association. I'm kind of a big test
case here, so we've had the program for number of
years and we're looking to roll this out to any
sheriff's office that I might be interested. We're in the
process of now revamping the program, upgrading the technology piece
so that we can expand it to include a lot
more people on it. Right now, it's technology driven, but
(11:48):
also people driven, so those and there's a cost factor
there that we need to make sure that we can absorb.
And we can do that creatively by getting help from
our friends in the nonprofit community and the private set
to help donate funds to run the programs. So we're
going to be expanding this and I'm going to share
it with my colleagues around the state and come wealth.
(12:09):
I think it's a valuable program that any public safety
agency could adopt under the great circumstances. Who's going to
put together And we've seen the success in other places
around the country too, And to not adopt something like
this I think would be unfortunate because I think it
really does save lives and it is something we talk
(12:30):
about the seniors too. I just want to make sure
there's a piece involved here too. We talk about seniors
and people with disabilities, but it really is for anybody
that might be living alone. You know, a slip and
fall could happen to a healthy thirty two year old
and absence somebody checking in with them, you know, you
could have a tragedy unfold. So this is really for
anybody that might just want that daily check in. It's
(12:53):
very convenient. It's not inconvenience for people to get that
quick call and check in. So it really is for
anybody as an extra insurance for their personal safety in
their home.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
All right, beautiful again, Quick call Officer Banbury. How long
of a call are we talking here? Two minutes, five
minutes or just a few seconds?
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Fourteen seconds? That seconds from start to finish.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
If they don't answer the first time, we'll call them
back five minutes later. They don't answer the second time,
we call them back another five minutes later, well the
computer does, and then if they still don't answer, the
computer will issue me an alert. But I will try
them up to thirty minutes, and if I do not
get a response from anybody within thirty minutes in.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
That thirty minute time period, I'm contacting a local.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Hospital to see if they've been admitted, and I'm calling
the contacts that they have provided me to see if
they're with them. And last reason is to call the
police to do a well being check. But all of
those that's the protocol we go through and it's worked
out very well.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Officer. I cannot even imagine how rewarding this must be
and the relationships that you've been able to make over
the years with this program. What does this mean to
you to be essentially at the front of this program
with the sheriff.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
It's you know, I'm just so glad that I'm able
to do this and that the sheriff has given me
this opportunity to do this. I worked inside for five
years and when this opportunity came up.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
I'm an old soul and I love working with people
and talking with them, and I mean, I'm friends with
so many of the family members and the givers of
these people. And it's like sometimes they'll call me and say, O, well,
my mom didn't answer today when I called her, Do
you know where she is?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
And I said, oh, well, yes, I know. She was
going on a day trip with the Senior Center or something.
So it works both ways. But It's just I love
what I do and I just wish that more people
had the advantage to do this.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
And they love it, they appreciate it, and it just
means so much.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
It was invaluable during COVID because we were the only
contact they had to the outside world.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
It was great, Well Sheriff, How can people get involved?
How can people get their family signed up for this service?
And where can people find out more about this?
Speaker 2 (14:58):
Best way to get involved is to give us a call.
We have a toll free number eight six six nine
zero zero seven eight six five and you can call up.
You'll probably talk to Cheryl directly so she can get
you signed up on the program. We have some information
online if you go to Norfolk sheriff dot com, check
in on our senior page and just look at up
(15:19):
the RUOK program to get some more information and you
can sign up and either sign up yourself or sign
up somebody that is a loved one, check in with them,
let them know that we're doing it. But we think
that everybody should join this program that is eligible for it.
We are expanding the program and I just you know,
as things go on the next ten years, we're watching
(15:41):
as we call the Silver Tsunami. There is a number
of people who are becoming of senior age and we're
going to watch it over the next ten to fifteen years,
a lot of people who are living longer but also
living alone increase. So that's why we're beefing up the program,
investing in technology, investing in the people in Northfork County
to make sure that they are okay Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Sheriff Patrick McDermott, Officer Cheryl Bambury, thank you so much
for all the work you're doing for our seniors and
everybody living alone in Norfolk County and all the best
as the program gets bigger and better.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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