VERO BEACH — The Senior Resource Association and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Department have recently partnered with the 211 Sunshine Program for seniors.
The program provides a free, daily check-in call allowing seniors to feel comforted and reassured that someone is looking out for them. If the call is not answered, 211 will reach out to family, other senior agencies or law enforcement to check on the individual.
“The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Deryl Loar are proud to partner with 211 and the Senior Resource Association on this fantastic program,” said Eric Flowers, Public Affairs Sergeant for the IRC Sheriff’s Department.
“We have formed a great partnership for this program to be able to continue to take care of the seniors in our community,” said Karen Deigl, President and CEO of the Senior Resource Association. “211’s Sunshine Program helps identify isolated and vulnerable seniors who are at risk.”
Through the Senior Resource Association, seniors will be given short-term case management to help them resolve problems and allow them to continue to live safely and independently in their own homes.
After one year of the Sunshine Program providing this service for seniors, the organization now makes calls to more than 500 clients along the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast, with roughly 30 of them residing in Indian River County.
So far this year, the program has saved the lives of 10 seniors enrolled in the program, including a woman on the Treasure Coast who had fallen, but later told rescuers she knew she would be fine once the sunshine caller could not reach her.
“211 is pleased to partner with the Senior Resource Association and the Indian River County Sheriff’s Department in order to bring the Sunshine Daily Telephone Reassurance Program to our Indian River County seniors,” said Page Woodward, Community Relations Specialist of 211.
“Without this partnership, we would not be able to assure the safety of our clients should we identify a need or crisis. Together, we are able to not only bring a ray of sunshine into the lives of our Sunshine clients, but we can offer them and their families security in knowing their well-being is being checked on a daily basis,” Woodward said.
