FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — Are you or a loved one a senior citizen who lives at home?

If so, there is a new service that has started in Venango County that seniors can sign up for that would have the Venango County Sheriff’s Department making daily phone calls via an automated system to check in on your/their well-being.

Venango County is one of three counties — Warren and Centre are the others — that are part of a Sheriff Senior Check-In Service program announced last week by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. The program is run in a partnership with the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

“The Sheriffs’ Senior Check-In Service will provide peace of mind for Pennsylvania residents who are over the age of 65 and living independently,” Wolf said.

“For those individuals with a limited support system, a simple, regular phone call to check in can make the difference in getting help out to folks when emergency situations occur.”

Individuals opting to participate in the call-in service must enroll in the program, which features a daily or other regularly scheduled check-in phone call from their county sheriff’s office. If the enrollee is in distress or does not answer the phone after several tries, the sheriff’s office will coordinate the appropriate safety check, including contacting other emergency contacts provided by the enrollee or dispatching a deputy to the address.

Sheriffs are partnering with their Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and other local stakeholders for assistance in getting the word out to eligible older Pennsylvanians in the pilot counties. Sign-up forms are available in County Sheriffs’ Offices.

Venango County Sheriff’s Deputy Zachary Fischer is in charge of the county’s efforts.

“We are aware that our beloved county has many senior citizens or disabled citizens who may not have family members that live locally,” information on the program provided by Fischer said. “The program is designed to automatically call the senior or disabled citizen once a day.”

Fischer said the free program generally takes citizens who are 65 years or older but if a citizen fits some other factors, like a disability, they can be enrolled in the program as well.

“It’s an automated system that calls between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. daily,” Fischer said. “It works with both the sheriff’s office and the county 911 center. Cell numbers are allowed, but we do prefer a home number.”

The person receiving the call chooses the time they want to receive the call during the 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. time frame, and if they find that the time they are getting the call isn’t convenient then they can change the time within the window.

According to Fischer, the way it will work is that if the person doesn’t answer the call, the system will wait 10 minutes and try again. After three missed calls, the system will alert the 911 center, which will then alert the sheriff’s department. A deputy will be dispatched to meet the key holder (you will be asked to give a trusted relative or friend a spare key to your living quarters) to check on the participant.

If a member of the program is going on vacation or otherwise knows they won’t be home, say for a doctor’s appointment or another engagement, they can call into the Sheriff’s office and let them know about their appointment or vacation and a hold will be put on the system.

To sign up for the program, call the Venango County Sheriff’s Office at 814-432-9565 and leave your name and number with the clerical staff. Fischer will return your call within 24 hours to set up a home visit.

At the home visit, you, your trusted person and/or next of kin and Fischer will go over the particulars of the program.

Participating counties received no more than $15,000.00 to purchase a telephone reassurance system and to cover initial staff time and marketing and enrollment costs. PCCD intends to collect outcome data on the pilot to review the effectiveness of the program.

Wolf’s office is hoping that once the pilot program in Venango, Warren, and Centre Counties is completed, the program can spread into additional counties throughout the Commonwealth.

Anyone in Venango County with questions about the program or wishing to sign up for the program should contact the Sheriff’s office at 814-432-9565 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.