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A caring voice By JOHN DARLING Sometimes when Helpline picks up the phone, it�s to make a call. Known best for answering calls from people in crisis, Helpline volunteers also place "reassurance calls" to elderly folks with no family in the area. Such people may fall into a pattern of isolation and depression, especially if they become less mobile and able to get out of the house, say Helpline staffers. The volunteers call these clients two or three times a week just to make sure everything�s OK. "To me, it�s the highlight of the week," said volunteer John Purcell. "We�ll talk about their health, the weather or how their pets are doing." How Helpline started Helpline got its start 30 years ago in a "true partnership" of community volunteers, people in need and a modest grant, said former county commissioner Jon Deason. A group of mothers on Aid to Families of Dependent Children called Deason, then the area�s community action director under the War on Poverty program, asking that a switchboard be set up for mothers in crisis, stranded travelers and others in need. Deason enlisted the help of a VISTA volunteer, Bill Cronin, now a Seattle attorney, to help start the program. Dick Newstrom, then the welfare director in Medford, helped organize the mothers, while Jackson County Mental Health Director Dave Ellis trained the first group of volunteers in crisis management and listening skills, Deason said. "It started in the ideal way," he said, "not with big programs and bureaucrats, but with a small state grant and the help of a dedicated group of volunteers and people in the social work field." Deason worked with Helpline briefly until it was operating on Main Street, near Vogel Park. His office of Community Action Director eventually evolved into ACCESS Foodshare, where he now works. "It was an ideal partnership," Deason said. "It was real good for clients, real good for volunteers and it started on a shoestring. It still relies on the same." Most reassurance clients are referred by family members who�ve moved away, Purcell said, and have asked Helpline, "could you check in on Mom every few days?" Some are placed on the reassurance call list by social agencies and some are self-referred, said Helpline Program Coordinator Beth Edwards. "They�re often dealing with loss of friends, grief and depression. Some can�t walk. Others are night owls," she said. Helpline volunteers keep a log of clients� living situations, health concerns, medications, likes and dislikes, pets and birthdays. If a client doesn�t answer the phone, the volunteers may ask the police to check in on the person. "Volunteers have training in compassion and empathy," said Edwards. "They enjoy it and the seniors know they�re really being listened to." Volunteer Ruthie Woudenberg finds it "very engaging" to develop friendships with people 30 to 40 years older. "They�ve seen a lot of life. They�ll talk about chilling Jell-O in the creek and hauling logs by horse to the Howard Prairie sawmill. It�s nice just to connect and be there for them," she said. Helpline celebrated its 30th birthday last month with a Valentine�s Day "reunion party" between volunteers and reassurance clients, none of whom had met face-to-face even after years of "checking in" calls. "It was very emotional for the staff," said Jennifer Burst, Helpline marketing and volunteer manager. "Over the years, they�ve all gotten to know us, too. They�ll ask about our jobs and spouses. Often, we�re the only human contact they have � and the only ones who call them on Christmas and Thanksgiving. It can be very sad." Most reassurance clients are in their 80s and 90s. This age group, said Burst, is at the highest risk for suicide. "They�re the least able to do what they enjoy, they�re not able to work and their kids are grown and don�t need them anymore," she said. The Reassurance Program and all other Helpline programs survive on donations and volunteer work. Volunteer staff is now at about half its optimal level of 40. To donate or volunteer � or to sign up for reassurance calls � phone 779-2393, Ext. 210. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.