"I Need Help!"

Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott is hailing the success of his “Are You OK” program, which he has credited once again with helping a Norfolk County resident in need of medical care, after she was unable to answer the call from the sheriff’s office to check in on her.

It’s the latest of several assists in the last few months linked to the free service offered by the sheriff’s office. This most recent case happened on Monday, December 30th around 9:30 a.m.

When an 83-year-old Dedham resident and client of the Are you OK program did not answer the automated check-in call, Norfolk County Sheriff’s Officer Cheryl Bambery called the woman personally numerous times, with no response.

Thinking quickly, Officer Bambery then called the woman’s neighbor, who is also a client of the Are you OK program and asked the neighbor to visit the woman because she lives in the same building and had a key to the woman’s apartment.

“When the neighbor arrived, she found the 83-year-old very weak and unable to use the phone or move,” said Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott. “The woman was calling out, ‘I need help! I need help!’”

The neighbor immediately called 911 and the 83 year-old client was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. The woman is now back home now after being cared for at a local hospital.

“Are you OK?” is a free program run by the sheriff’s office that offers calls to residents of Norfolk County who live alone and could use a check-in related to their health or well-being.

This past September the Are you OK program helped save an 80-year-old Canton woman who had fallen in her home and did not answer when Officer Bambery called to check in on her.

“The ‘Are you OK?’ program is a proven lifesaver and I encourage anyone who could benefit from these calls to register with our ‘Are You OK?” program,” said Sheriff McDermott.

Norfolk County residents interested in signing up for the program can call 1-866-900-7865.

More info here: https://norfolksheriff.com/divisions/senior/areyouok