The relaunch of a “friendly caller” program that began in the 1980s and gained popularity with a variety of nonprofit and governmental groups during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic will help ensure the safety of isolated individuals living in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties.
CDM Caregiving Services — Clark County’s largest and longest running in-home care provider for seniors and people with disabilities — relaunched the free RU OK? Friendly Caller Program on Jan. 1, thanks to a new, three-year $24,625 grant from the Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest Washington.
“We’re hoping to assist people who live alone in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties,” Ginger Barnwell, CDM’s home care manager, said. “The program was in existence in the late 1980s and 1990s. We are relaunching the program with the grant, which we received in December.”
The free “RU OK?” program connects isolated individuals with a CDM staff member who will make phone calls as needed to check in with elderly and disabled community members who live alone in the tri-county area and may be in need of a daily or weekly phone call to make sure everything is OK.
“We can do daily calls, or weekly — it really just depends on the needs of that person,” Barnwell said. “We see how they’re doing. Do they need a reminder to take their medication? Our goal is to set it up with the client we’re calling to find out what works for them. Do we call each day? At a certain time of day? It’s on a case-by-case basis.”