NORTH PORT- The North Port Police Department is answering the call to serve seniors on the Suncoast.
“This program will call them daily, and check their well being to make sure they are ok,” said 911 supervisor, Mandy Lorenz.
H.E.A.R.T.S. or Helping Ensure Active Response by Telephoning Seniors helps seniors age 60 and over who may live alone, be disabled, or have no contact with others.
“We ask them how are you doing today, is everything ok, and they say yes, thank you very much for calling,” said Lorenz.
When a senior does not answer the phone, North Port Police officers step in and preform a well-being check, giving seniors independence and peace of mind.
“With this program, they can still feel as if they can live on their own but still have the phone call and know some is going to come if they need them to,” said Lorenz.
Lorenz says Officer Justin McMenamin responded to a home for a well-being check that saved one woman’s life.
“We ended up making entry because of information we were given and we did find this person in need of medical attention,” said Lorenz.
Lorenz says if the patient had been a part H.E.A.R.T.S. Program, her response time would have been different.
“They would have had their daily call and had they not answered we would’ve have sent an officer at that time, so they might not have might not been needing medical assistance for as long as they were,” said Lorenz.
Seniors can sign up online or at the North Port Police Department.
