VIDALIA &045;&045; How good does it feel when someone calls to check to see if things are going OK?

Now senior citizens who might not get those routine check-up calls can receive them through the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Through a new software system called &uot;Are You OK?&uot; the department is gathering names of elderly, homebound and handicapped citizens who need to be checked on periodically throughout the day. Right now, 59 people are signed up for the service.

Program coordinators Deputy George Loomis and dispatcher Debra Moore, as well as volunteer and auxiliary deputy Kay Maier, have notified elderly residents they know throughout the parish and have gone door-to-door explaining the free system.

&uot;There are a lot of elderly out there we don’t know about,&uot; Moore said.

&uot;A lot of this (letting people know about the system) will be word of mouth,&uot; Loomis said. The people being called decides what time they want to be called &045;&045; usually, a time they know they will be home every day. When a person answers, a recording will say, &uot;This is the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office ‘Are You OK’ system. Please hang up now.&uot;

But if the person does not answer, the system will call back in five minutes and then five minutes later, giving the person a total of at least 15 minutes to answer.

If there’s no answer, an alert will be sent to the dispatcher on duty, who will first call a keyholder or relative listed for the person. If that person does not respond, a deputy will be sent to the person’s home with an ambulance on standby.

The deputy will then check in person to make sure things are OK. If they sign up for the service, participants sign release forms agreeing to be called at least once a day and saying it is OK for a deputy to use forced entry, if needed, to enter the home to check on a person that does not answer the phone calls.

They also will fill out medical information forms in case of an emergency. All information will be kept confidential.

Relatives of elderly people in need of this service also are encouraged to sign them up for the program.

&uot;I found there’s a lot of people that need this,&uot; Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell said.

Public Information Officer Kathleen Stevens said the department had looked for a program like this for a while, saw the success of the &uot;Are You OK?&uot; program in other parishes and so, in turn, decided to try it.

Maier, who volunteers with many programs for the elderly, said the people she has talked to think it is a good idea. &uot;It is letting them know somebody cares and wants to know if they are OK,&uot; she said. &uot;Once this gets started, this is going to be a security (system) for them.&uot;