Jennifer Cotter
Excellence in medial alert services 

 

"People get the feeling that someone is always there to help," suggests Lifeline Program Coordinator Jennifer Cotter. "Just the push of a button and they’re connected."

 

The Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven Connecticut has been offering the Philips Lifeline Medical Alert Service to the surrounding community for more than 25 years. The program has grown under Jennifer’s leadership to include more than 1400 subscribers.

 

Why the increasing interest in Philips Lifeline Medical Alert Service?

 

Good training makes a difference 

Jennifer believes more and more baby boomers are taking care of their elderly parents and grandparents. "These caregivers want to abide by their family member’s wishes to remain independent as long as possible."

 

But Jennifer notes, "The real difference between the service we offer and our competition is the way Lifeline trains its Personal Response Associates. They receive a basic education in gerontology so they are more aware and sensitive toward each subscriber."

 

Simple to choose, simple to use 

The Philips Lifeline Medical Alert Service is a reliable way for people to get help. In a home emergency:

1. A pendant or watch-like Personal Help Button calls to an in-home CarePartner Communication unit.
2. The unit instantly puts the subscriber in voice contact with a Lifeline Personal Response Associate.
3. The Response Associate then calls for help.

 

Jennifer reaches out to the community in many different ways in order to demonstrate just how easy and effective the Lifeline service really is. She explains, "We promote the service through mailings, health and wellness programs, health fairs and contact with senior services such as visiting nurse associations."

 

Yet it is often the caregiver who seeks Jennifer out. "Word of mouth is probably the biggest source of referrals," says Jennifer. "A social worker, a friend, someone will suggest that Lifeline is a viable alternative for the care of their family member."

 

A friendly face 

The Hospital of Saint Raphael acts as a vendor of the Philips Lifeline program. They are the face of the program to the Greater New Haven, CT community.

 

The actual event monitoring comes from the Lifeline Response Center in Massachusetts, but it is Jennifer’s staff that interacts with every local subscriber.

 

"We have a wonderful group of retirees working as our installers," smiles Jennifer. "They seem to have a unique connection with our subscribers - they really take the time to explain the system."

 

A health history is taken when the subscriber calls to order the service. They collect name, address, date-of-birth, allergies, prescriptions, doctors, hospital preference, and a list of people who the Lifeline Personal Response Associate should notify in case of emergency. As Jennifer points out, "This is important. If a subscriber pushes that button we don’t want them to have to tell us anything else but what’s wrong."

 

For our patients’ future 

Philips Lifeline has a long association with the Hospital of Saint Raphael. Dorothy Ventriglio, Administrative Director of Geriatric Services for St. Raphael remembers when it all began. "In celebration of our 75th birthday in 1982, the hospital wanted to give back to the community and Lifeline was positioned as a new and exciting way to do just that. It’s been a very viable program ever since."

 

And as the baby boomer generation continues to age, Jennifer and Dorothy have plans to keep pace. "We're currently working to offer Lifeline to every in-patient who may need it – as part of the standard patient information package," says Jennifer.

 

"When you think about it," adds Dorothy, "the age wave that’s going to hit over the next 10 years is going to be big. Many people getting older will want to stay in their community, so anything we can do to maintain them at home is a very good option."

 

"Lifeline," Jennifer concludes, "is a great option."

 

 

- August 2008

 

+ More Profiles 

 

 

The content on this site is intended to be used for educational purposes only. ...