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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
There before you need him
Volunteer helps seniors stay independent
JOHN.WOODS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA (JOHN.WOODS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)
Rod Biggs likens the Victoria Lifeline service to having car insurance. Why wouldn't you have it?
He's seen the importance of the service firsthand as a volunteer with the non-profit service, which is run by the Victoria Hospital Foundation.
Victoria Lifeline subscribers, mostly seniors, wear a button around their neck or wrist and if they need assistance as a result of a fall or sudden illness, they simply need to push the button and their phone automatically connects to the Lifeline call centre. Staff members there can summon help, whether that is an ambulance or a family member or friend who lives close by.
Two days each week, Biggs travels around Winnipeg installing the Lifeline units for new customers and providing service calls to existing customers. Over the past five years, Biggs estimates he's installed nearly 1,000 of the units, and repaired another 1,000. It's a worthwhile volunteer job, Biggs said, not only keeping him busy in retirement, but also allowing him to get out and meet new people.
"I'm not going to sit at home watching the goggle box all day," said Biggs, a 74-year-old Richmond West grandfather. "I like to get out and do things. I like to keep busy. It's most enjoyable to get out and see people and talk to people. You meet all sorts of people and all sorts of situations."
Biggs said he enjoys knowing that his work could potentially save a life, but wishes more seniors would consider Lifeline before it's too late. He said they often subscribe to the service after they've already experienced a fall or illness.
"I wish more people would take it before they've had a problem," explained Biggs, who also volunteers on the board of directors for the Victoria Hospital Foundation, Prairie Public Television and Biathlon Manitoba.
"We do a lot of installs because somebody has fallen down. They say, 'Oh, we better get Lifeline.' If they'd only done that before, they wouldn't have laid on the floor for 10 hours or something like that."
Biggs said that often it's the individual's children or grandchildren who insist on the service. Many seniors object, feeling it makes them less independent.
Biggs sees it differently. He said that having Lifeline actually makes them more independent, able to live their lives in their own homes without having a family member or friend having to check in with them. A large part of his job is to convince them of that. That's where his car insurance analogy comes in handy.
"I ask them, 'Did you drive a car?' And they say 'yeah.' Then I ask, 'Well, did you have insurance?' Yes. I say, 'Well that's what this is. It's insurance. You never want to collect on it but it's there just in case.' "
Victoria Lifeline is in need of volunteers to do installations. Biggs said technical skills are not required, as it's simply a matter of plugging in the units. What is important is a volunteer's ability to communicate with the clients, making them feel more at ease.
If you would like more information about Victoria Lifeline or would like to become a volunteer, please call 956-6777. You can learn more by visiting www.vgh.mb.ca/lifeline.
If you know a special volunteer who strives to make his or her community a better place to live, please contact Erin Madden at erinmadden@shaw.ca.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 4, 2011 B2
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