Imagine this: your children have grown and moved away, your spouse has passed, and you live by yourself in a quiet community with few social interactions. A phone call from a trusted voice can bring tremendous joy and relief. This is the reality for more and more older adults, like Maya, who live independently and in remote areas. Waiting for a call becomes a daily highlight.
Maya was a widow living five kilometers out of Orangeville with her cat affectionately named Tigger. “I have been with
TeleCheck for more than five years. It’s the best thing in Orangeville,” she said. TeleCheck, a partner program with Headwaters Health Care Centre and
Dufferin County Community Paramedics, connects older adults in the community with volunteers and staff who provide wellness calls and visits to help increase their social connections and support their independent living.
TeleCheck volunteers called Maya three times daily, and a family member took her out for groceries and errands once a week. Dufferin County Community Paramedics provided monthly wellness checks and will visited her if a medical condition worsened.
“TeleCheck is a lifeline. I appreciate knowing someone is checking on me every day,” said Maya. “If I would not get my three phone calls a day, I wouldn’t have any phone calls. I have four children and they phone occasionally, though some live out of the country. Otherwise, I would sit within my four walls, and I don’t have transportation anymore. Dufferin County Community Paramedics stop in to check that I’m OK. I take one day at a time – I don’t go out and I’m quite happy with my TV. I cannot crochet, knit or read anymore. TeleCheck and Paramedics -- they’re always there for me. I have nothing but good to say about them.”
Maya would have turned 91 on June 17 with a birthday party including TeleCheck staff and volunteers, and Dufferin Community Paramedics. With heavy hearts and sadness, TeleCheck was informed that she passed away May 30. Maya was a beloved member of the TeleCheck family for more than 10 years and her absence will be deeply felt by the whole team.
Photo caption: Maya with Dufferin County Community Paramedic Dave