Burns Lake has extended its home support hours to include overnight coverage. Now, town residents who use the Lifeline program have access to scheduled or unscheduled home support services through the night.
The overnight home support program started on November 1, 2018. As the pilot community for the extended hours, Burns Lake is currently the only BC community receiving the additional coverage. There are nine people signed up at the assisted living facility, Tweedsmuir House, as well as a couple community members who’ve scheduled check-ins linked to their Lifeline service.
How does the Lifeline program work?
With Lifeline, if a client needs help for any reason, they can press a small, waterproof personal help button (worn on a neck cord or wristband). Pressing the button calls a cell phone that’s managed by a home support worker, who can then respond and tend to the client’s needs.
In Burns Lake, a person can sign up with Lifeline, then opt into the extended overnight home support.
Clients must sign up for Lifeline, and when doing so, must choose where to direct the calls. In the past, if a patient had no family close by, they might list an ambulance service as the main contact. Now that there’s overnight home support, the first call can be to the overnight home support worker, avoiding unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
Helping seniors feel safe in their homes
Lifeline helps seniors feel secure and safe in their home; they know help is just a button push away. For example, when a patient falls, they press their Lifeline to call a home support worker. The home support worker can go see the patient in their home to determine if they need an ambulance or if family members should be contacted. If the call is beyond what the home support worker can do, they will support the senior until the ambulance or family member arrives.
Home support workers do scheduled overnight safety checks at Tweedsmuir House – even assisting clients who wake up very early in the morning. For instance, one client gets up extremely early (while the overnight home support worker is still on shift). Overnight home support workers are able to help this client with their personal morning routine before the day shift starts. This frees up time for the daytime home support workers to see more clients.
Home support workers also help people who need assistance getting to the bathroom at night. This lets people stay in their home longer, which is usually where they want to be.
The home support service is also available for people who are still living in their own homes within the village limits of Burns Lake.
Helping people return home from the hospital
In the past, having no overnight support at home has prevented people from leaving the hospital. They’re often well enough to go home, but still need overnight support for certain things and don’t have family who can assist. Overnight support service lets people return home with peace of mind, knowing they’ll be checked on when needed.
If you or a family member in Burns Lake is interested in Lifeline’s overnight home support services, please call 1-800-387-1215. You must live in the town of Burns Lake as the current support only covers people living within town limits. The hope is that the service will be expanded later. At this time, staff safety, and sustainability are the first priority.
If you do not live in Burns Lake and would like more information about Lifeline, please visit Northern Health's Lifeline Emergency Response Program page.
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