Telephone Reassurance Phone Systems

Database Systems Corp. (DSC) provides call center technology products and outsourcing services. Call Reassurance or CARE is an automated telephone reassurance phone system that calls seniors, home alone children or any other homebound residents to ensure their well being. This telephone reassurance autodialer has been selected by many communities as a RUOK* replacement system. CARE provides daily checkin calls to residents who are living alone and who wish to be contacted in case something happens to them and they are unable to request emergency assistance on their own. This enables senior citizens to remain in their homes longer in their lives (Aging In Place). Citizens subscribe to this service in their local communities which have CARE systems. Subscriptions vary among communities, but most are free to the CARE recipients.

A CARE system is a computer phone system with embedded computer telephony integration boards capable of making automatic phone calls without human intervention. This technology incorporates voice broadcasting and IVR solutions from DSC. Calls are made from a list accumulated and maintained by a community administrator. This list includes the CARE recipient name, address, and phone number. Optionally included are "keyholders", or friends and associates of the subscriber that the CARE responders can contact if they need to enter the home of the subscriber when no one answers the call.

VoiceXML and Telephone Reassurance Calls

Phone messaging systems and services with VoiceXML messaging automatically send phone messages from a computer system to a remote phone systems using XML push logic. For example, alerts can be broadcast to tenants in a building if there is a fire or disaster. Calls to emergency staff or to seniors can be automatically generated using VoiceXML and DSC software. Other applications may be as simple as wakeup calls or weather alerts that are triggered automatically from a computer system or websites.

Telephone Reassurance Features

• Automatic telephone reassurance calls to seniors
• The CARE computer system is an industrial quality Intel based PC.
• CARE calls are automatically made by a computer with custom recorded messages.
• CARE does NOT require volunteers making phone calls.
• I'm OK automatically answers calls from seniors using IVR technology
• Latchkey children automatic home alone checks
• CARE volunteers can be contacted when the CARE subscriber wants to chat.
• Automatic reminder calls to seniors (medication reminders)
• Monitor self abuse elderly victims.
• CARE recipients can use IVR phone keys to respond.
• CARE subscribers can optionally simply answer the call and hangup.
• CARE calls can be placed at designated times with a CARE Administration scheduler.
• Multiple calls per day per individual can be scheduled.
• Advanced call scheduler allows calls to be skipped during certain days.
• CARE systems feature answer machine detection.
• Calls attempts can be repeated multiple times before notifying CARE center.
• Voice broadcasting messages to staff and dispatchers
• Automated phone answering services for scheduling and maintenance
• CARE versus Are You OK* (an older system)
• Response center and family can be automatically alerted when there is no answer.
• Response center can be notified by call, email, plus visual and audible alarms.
• Online call reports available giving status of each call.
• Emergency dialing services are available for members of the community.
• CARE systems can be used to perform emergency notification calling.
• Systems support 1-48 analog phone lines.
• Systems can be upgraded to our digital (PACER) phone supporting up to a 1000 lines.

Elder Abuse Victim Monitoring

Some of the most vulnerable individuals in society today are the elderly who are victims of abuse by both family members and caregivers. Elder abuse can be self inflicted, meaning individuals living at home may not provide the adequate care needed to live safely. CARE monitoring calls these individuals to ensure they are OK . If the senior does not respond, an alert is generated and family, friends and the local community service organizations are contacted. CARE works best when community volunteers are also available to assist these individuals in performing very basis functions such as feeding the senior and ensuring they are properly clothed.

Call Reassurance and Latchkey Kids

CARE systems can also call home alone children to ensure they arrived safely after school when their parents are not home. This is an important calling service offered by some communities that provides peace of mind to single parents or dual working parents who do not get home until after their children return from school. The system calls the household just as it does for seniors and the child must answer the phone and positively acknowledge receipt of the call by pressing the appropriate phone key.

If the child does not answer the phone or does not press the positive acknowledgement key, an automatic alert can be sent to the parents, school or neighbors and in some cases to the police department.

CARE Latchkey Children Articles

• Latchkey Kids Guidelines For Parents
• Latchkey Children - Young Children at Home Alone

Senior Medication Reminders

Senior citizens can enroll in the CARE program to receive free daily or periodic reminders. These most likely are medication reminders and these non-emergency calls are made at a time and day unique to each senior. Reminder messages are scheduled and broadcast by phone to both "live" answers or left on answering machines. If there is no answer or the phone is busy, multiple attempts are made to call the senior. No emergency alert is generated if there is no answer to this call.

CARE Communities

The following are some of the community organizations using CARE systems to check on the welfare of their seniors:

• City of Auburn, Massachusetts Police Department
• City of Brentwood, Missouri Police Department
• Estes Park, Colorado Police Department
• Fairfield County, Ohio Sheriff's Office
• Garland County, Arkansas Sheriff's Department
• Gibson County, Indiana Sheriff's Department
• Oxford Park Commission, Mississippi, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (Senior Corps)
• Pound Ridge, New York Police Department
• Rankin County, Mississippi Police Department

Contact Database Systems Corp.

Contact DSC at (602) 265-5968 or use the following CARE Contact Form.

DSC News and Information

• Microsoft selects Database Systems Corp. to provide emergency notification services. (Microsoft Story)
• Answer Machine Detection for voice broadcast and autodialers.
• Phone Survey Software - IVR surveys and application development tools
• IVR Applications - Listing of variety of IVR phone applications and clients
• Phone Reminders - Voice broadcast phone reminders
• IVR Solutions - IVR systems, IVR software and hosted IVR services
• ACD Software and ACD Systems
• Voice Broadcast Applications - Partial listing of voice broadcast programs including customer applications

Notes

• RUOK® and Are You OK?® are names for a product from Northland Innovations Corp. which was developed in the 1980's and is being replaced by the more modern telephone reassurance systems such as CARE.