Burns Lake residents who use the non-profit Lifeline program can now request to receive overnight home support.
The overnight home support program, which started as a pilot program in Burns Lake over a year ago, has successfully passed its trial period and will now be available on an ongoing basis, said Lisa Cant, Northern Health’s community services manager for the Lakes District.
“We’ve determined this is a program that is needed in the community,” said Cant, adding the overnight home support program — the first of its kind in northern B.C. — has received great feedback from seniors and their families.
Residents of both the Tweedsmuir House, an assisted living facility, and the Heritage Manor, and independent living facility, are able to request the service. But eligible seniors who live at home can request it too, said Cant.
With Lifeline, if seniors need help for any reason, they can press a small, waterproof personal help button — worn on a neck cord or wristband — which calls a local home support worker, who can then tend to their needs.
Home support workers can not only help seniors in emergency situations, but also help them get to the bathroom in the middle of the night or check on them after they return home from the hospital — with scheduled or unscheduled checks.
Cant said one of the benefits of the service is that it helps reduce “family burnout.”
“Typically, with those [emergency] calls, a family member would need to attend to that call. But because we’re taking that step out, families are not being woken up in the middle of the night and then having to attend work. It’s tough to get calls at 3 a.m. and then still get up and go to work.”
The overnight checks are also helping reduce anxiety among seniors, she said.
“It’s helped with the psychological safety of our clients just by having the knowledge that they are being checked on.”
In addition, Cant said the program can help relieve pressure on the health-care system.
While Lifeline is not a Northern Health program, the health authority helps facilitate people subscribing to it, said Eryn Collins, a spokesperson for Northern Health.
The overnight home support program is currently only available within the boundaries of the Village of Burns Lake, but it might be extended to surrounding areas in the future, said Cant, noting this plan is still in the assessment phase.
