Guardian Alert and Knox-Box Provide Peace of Mind

Ninety-four year old Sophie Valley lives by herself in Sullivan.  She has limited mobility and is not able to complete her daily living tasks on her own.  Her daughter Chris assists her so she can remain at home rather give up living independently.  Chris Brake is her mother’s caregiver through Heartland Independent Living Center’s Consumer Directed Services (CDS) personal care attendant services program. She helps her mom with her meals, daily chores, activities and also transportation. “I’m there every morning to fix breakfast, and every evening for dinner,” says Chris. 

One obstacle posed a threat to Sophie staying alone in her home - - what happens if she is incapacitated in some way and can’t get to the phone to get help?

94-year old Sophie Valley raised 11 children in the 

Sullivan area and is not about to give up her 

independence now.  She lives alone and her daughter 

Chris helps her with meals and activities. “Mom is sharp 

and still has all her wits,” says Chris.  “She will 

remain in her own home for as long as she can.  When 

her independence is removed, so is her will to live.”  

SFD Auxiliary Treasurer Melissa Larrison displays 

a Knox-Box that the department provides free of 

charge to disabled and/or elderly Sullivan residents.  

The locked box contains a key to the consumer’s 

door so that emergency personnel are able to 

enter the residence.  The Auxiliary purchased 43 

Knox-Boxes for consumer use.  “The Sullivan

community supports the fire department,” says 

Melissa, “and we in turn support our community.” 

Pictured with Melissa is Billy Harris, Sullivan Fireman 

and Missouri Baptist Hospital paramedic.

Sophie did indeed fall last winter and couldn’t get up.  “I just laid there and watched the clock,” says Sophie.  “Chris is always here by 6:00 am, so I just told myself I’d be OK until she got here.”  And she was.  Chris says God must have been pushing her along that day as she got there earlier than usual.

Following Sophie’s fall, her Heartland CDS Specialist suggested providing her with a Guardian Alert emergency communications device, which Heartland supplies free of charge to qualified consumers.  Sophie now wears the Alert knowing that if she get in trouble, she can push the button and receive immediate assistance.  And, her daughter will also be notified of the emergency.

Now Sophie faced another potential risk. “Mom has family and friends who visit, but I’ve always told her to keep her doors locked when family members are not there,” states Chris, “but, how does someone get in case of emergency?”

Through local firemen, Chris was informed of the Knox-Box, a locked safety box attached to the front door that can only be accessed by the Fire Department or EMS personnel.  The consumer’s door key is kept in the Knox-Box so an emergency team can enter the home without forced entry.  “This prevents costly repairs to doors or windows,” says Sullivan Fireman and Missouri Baptist Hospital Paramedic Billy Harris.  “But more importantly, it saves life-threatening time in assisting the person.” The box is secure as it is remotely opened through Franklin County Dispatch by a call from the fire truck Captain arriving on the scene.  The box is immediately opened, the call is logged, and the box is remotely relocked once the emergency is over. 

The Sullivan Fire Department (SFD) provides the Knox-Box free of charge to qualified individuals throughout the fire district.  The SFD Auxiliary purchased 43 Knox-Boxes for consumer use with money raised from fund-raising activities.  The only thing the Department asks is that when the box is no longer needed, it be returned for recycling to another consumer.

“I can now go home and sleep at night knowing that Mom is safe,” says Chris.  “Mom and I both have peace of mind knowing that help is on the way whenever she needs it.  We thank both Heartland and the Fire Department for that.”

The In$ufficient Funds Phenomenon

According to the U.S. Census, there are close to 16,500 people living in poverty in Franklin County. Members of the Franklin County Hunger Task Force help many of these individuals when they are in need of food, a winter coat for their child, or school supplies for their children.  

Many consumers at the Franklin County Hunger Task Force Simulation pawned their TVs, cameras,  jewelry, or other valuables in order to pay the rent for the month.  Pictured from left are Deanna Thompson with the Second Blessings food pantry in  Union, and Mary Nienhueser of the Tri-Pantry food pantry in Leslie.

The Hunger Task Force, of which Heartland Independent Living Center is a member, recently staged a Poverty Simulation in which social and community service attendees experienced what life might be like for individuals in a state of poverty.  Each attendee was assigned a role as a family member of a one to five-member family.  Each was given a specified amount of money or other items from which they may derive money.  Four 15-minute time segments equaled a month of trying to make ends meet.

 At the beginning of each week, designated family members would go to work or visit the employment office looking for work.  Others would take their child to school, visit the doctor’s office, go to the bank, pay their utility bill, or shop for groceries.  Some would take a household item to the pawn shop for quick cash, others would visit Pay Day Loans for their needs.  Throughout the evening, a robber was lurking waiting for a chance to snatch valuables.  And, like most communities, a policeman was standing watch to keep residents safe and within the law.

During a recent Poverty Simulation staged by 

the Franklin County Hunger Task Force, a young 

mother and her child are evicted for being three 

months behind on rent. Kelly Landolt of Gerald 

Community Outreach played the local law 

enforcement officer, and Britney Argurieo of 

Jefferson Franklin County Community Action 

Corporation  experienced poverty for the evening 

as a young, unemployed mom.

Frustration struck many as things went awry - - you just spent your allotted gas money getting to the bank only to find out they were closed for the day. The pawn shop didn’t pay enough for your big screen TV to pay your overdue utilities bill.  Your son landed himself in jail for vandalism. When going through the checkout line you found you didn’t have enough money for the week’s groceries.  In your frustration you ran off and left your child in the grocery cart, who was picked up by the local authorities and taken to Social Services.  Now you have to spend more time and gas money to consult with state officials to get your child back.  In addition, your husband has to appear also, and is penalized because he has to take off work.  The hole just keeps getting deeper as the month wears on. 

These are all real problems individuals living in poverty face every day.  It is hard to imagine the downward spiral unless one has experienced it.  The simulation is intended to let community service people walk in the footsteps of poverty so they can better empathize with those that need assistance. “It really is an eye-opener,” says Heartland Independent Living Center Director Pat Chambers.  “This kind of program put on by the Task Force is very beneficial to help understand the situations in which individuals in poverty find themselves.”

As in real life, frustration grows as waiting lines get longer 

and longer.  At the Poverty Simulation given by the Franklin 

County Hunger Task Force, consumers must purchase a 

transportation voucher before they are able to travel 

anywhere in town.  Maria Killian of Gerald Community 

Outreach and St. Vincent DePaul Society portrays the Pay 

Day Loan manager who also sells transportation passes, 

sometimes at an inflated price. 

To schedule a poverty simulation for your business, fraternal organization, school, or social group, please call Franklin County Hunger Task Force at 636-797-2688 or 636-629-6193.

Heartland Independent Living Center (HILC) is a nonprofit, non-residential, community based organization that serves individuals with disabilities in east central Missouri.  HILC offers a number of free services to assist people to live independently in their own homes, including advocacy, information & referral, independent living skills training, ramps and home modifications, nursing home transition, adaptive equipment, and dental services.  For more information on available services contact HILC toll-free at 866-322-3224.