Alzheimer's Helpline

Article submitted by Steve Pitts, The Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
For more information, the Alzheimers Helpline can be reached at 1-800-652-3370.

"Expanding service to twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, launching a national, toll-free Helpline number, centralizing Helpline operations, hiring additional professional staff, implementing a new database, participating in the Alzheimer's Association's national Contact Center network, and enhancing resources and referral services are among the exciting changes to the Chapter's Helpline program" - The Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association announced these dramatic steps as part of a bold strategic plan to better reach and serve families affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

The Greater Pennsylvania Chapter's new national toll-free number 1-800-652-3370 will provide both local family members and those in other states a means of obtaining needed support and resource information specific to their situation. A proprietary database will increase efficiency and help provide the best possible service to callers. Key positions have been added to augment and streamline the operation and ensure continuing quality assistance. Referral sources and resources have been enhanced to provide families with an unprecedented array of possibilities from which to draw.

Phyllis Grunert, an experienced crisis center and telephone hot line specialist, manages the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter's Helpline. Phyllis brings great experience and compassion to her work. She has been assisting callers to the Helpline since 1994 and also has had a personal experience with Alzheimer's disease.

To ensure that families needing assistance in the middle of the night or on weekends get the help they need, the Chapter will join the Alzheimer's Association's national Contact Center network. Our 800 number will be answered by trained, professional social workers twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, will provide round-the-clock assistance when immediate action is required, and access to Chapter information, programs, and services. For anyone needing support, help is always only a phone call away.

Comprehensive program assessments and in-depth discussions led to the decision to centralize and expand Chapter Helpline services to take a primary role in service delivery. The Helpline will serve as the hub of the wheel in assisting families in Pennsylvania dealing with this devastating disease. From making that difficult first phone call to obtaining a vast collection of resource and program options, families will receive quality one-on-one service from trained professionals. Callers will be provided with current disease information, vital caregiver resources, and referral services in their area.

The bold steps being implemented positions the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter to take part in one of the national Alzheimer's Association's top strategic priorities that directly benefit and help families living with Alzheimer's disease. It also will support the Alzheimer's Association, Greater Pennsylvania Chapter's mission—to stand by Pennsylvanians touched by Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, by advancing research and assuring that individuals, families, and communities have the most useful information, care, and support throughout the journey.

Centralization and all other Helpline improvements will be operational by mid-June, 2003. The Chapter's launch into the Contact Center network is scheduled for August 11.