Phonelink

Phonelink is a telephone morning and evening check call service for over 60’s funded by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership. This service is available to anyone living in Edinburgh aged 60 or over who feels the need for a daily reassuring telephone call.

The benefits of our service include:

- Reducing loneliness
- Welfare checks
- Medication Prompts
- Offer advice on other services available in your community

How does Phonelink work?

Phonelink operates twice daily, between 8:00am - 11:00am and 6:00pm - 8:00pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Many of our clients live alone and rarely get visitors or leave the house. Loneliness and vulnerability can release feelings of worry that no one will know if they take ill or have a fall which can cause complete social isolation.

Our calls provide peace of mind and help tackle these issues by ensuring no one is left alone for long periods of time. In some cases, we are the only people that they speak to for several days.

What happens when you sign up for the service?

You will be allocated a set time every morning and evening and we will call you as near to this time as possible. If we cannot reach you for any reason, our robust system ensures that we call you again within 10-15 mins. If we cannot get an answer, we will contact someone to check on you and ensure you are well. Each client must provide us with 2 named contacts for this purpose. In the event of an incident, we will endeavour to resolve the situation but there may be occasion where we may need to call an emergency service. We ensure we communicate with each professional service you receive such as Community Alarm Teams or Home Care providers.

Do I need a call every day of the week and each morning and evening?

No, the frequency of the calls is completely up to you. Most of our clients do receive calls 365 days a year but some choose to have maybe just morning calls, weekend calls only and maybe only on certain days. The days and times are decided to suit your routines as much as possible.

Can my family members sign me up for a short period of time?

Yes, we have families who contact us if they are going away on holiday for a while and we can provide calls for this duration to provide peace of mind that their loved ones are speaking to someone to check on their welfare.

Medication Prompts

We are happy to provide clients with a call to provide them with a prompt to take their medication. The client must be able to self medicate and do not have a Care Team going in to their home to provide the same– to prevent duplication.

Our service can be accessed by self referral or by any Health Care Professional or provider for example, GP’s, OT’s, Community Nurses, Home Care Staff, Hospital based staff or family members or friends.

Remember, there is NO cost for this service to the client.

For a referral pack please call us on 0131 510 6930 or email Phonelink@caringincraigmillar.org or visit https://www.caringincraigmillar.co.uk/phonelink-edinburgh.html to download a referral form.

To download a copy of our leaflet, please visit https://www.caringincraigmillar.co.uk/phonelink-edinburgh.html.

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Phonelink-Edinburgh-1632832526829039.