Grosse Pointe News

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Sign up for ‘kindness calls’Free Access


Photo by Renee Landuyt
Dispatcher Agnes Burcar makes calls each day to seniors on her list to make sure they are OK and doing well.

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — “A friendly call each morning can make a world of difference for a homebound resident or an elderly person living alone in Grosse Pointe Woods.”

This statement by the public safety department, showcasing its efforts to protect residents’ well-being, is from a descriptor of “kindness calls,” a program the Woods invests in to keep residents safe.

Elderly residents living alone can sign up for the calls, made each morning between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. If the resident does not answer the call after three attempts, an officer is dispatched to their residence to make sure they are OK.

Woods public safety communications dispatcher Agnus Burcar, known around the office as Aggie, is usually the day-dispatcher on duty making the phone calls. She said the program has been in place since before she started in 1987.

“Every morning, you’re going to talk to a person that day,” Burcar said of residents who may be considering adding their name to the list. “And it’s going to really change your attitude and brighten your mood. Really. It really, really, really works.

“We’re like their lost friend,” she added. “Their lost friend that they really need in a time of need.”

Currently, the department has only one resident on the list, though it’s had up to 10 on the list before. The current resident, born in 1933, told Burcar she is “very happy to talk to someone every morning. The call actually gives (her) importance and value.”

Burcar said the call usually consists of chit-chatting and reminders of things going on in daily life.

“She is witty,” Burcar said of the resident currently on the list. “She is sharp. The way she talks, she just makes me laugh. We laugh for hours. … And then, you know, I ask, especially when there’s a storm, ‘Did you have any issues at your house? Is your power on? Electric on?’ (I) tell them about the daylight saving time (change). I find things to chit chat about. If there’s any prominent phone scams … I pass that information on to them. On Sundays, it’s quieter, so we talk a little longer.”

Burcar said it’s a special service for residents and it has its own kind of impact on her life as well. She recounted attending many funerals of residents she called daily.

The department aims to protect and serve, according to Burcar, and therefore will assist in any modifications to help better serve residents through the service.

She said having to wait around for a call shouldn’t stop people from signing up.

“If they don’t want to hang around for two hours, if they’re going out, they can call us,” she said. “Or if they’re up at four in the morning, they can call and tell the dispatcher they are on the call list.

“I’m just trying to make it work for more seniors, because it’s awesome.”

Residents may sign up for just a few months, if they’d like. The service also may be easily suspended if the resident is leaving on vacation or visiting with family.

“Just try it and if it’s not working out for you, you can always just say you don’t want to do it anymore,” Burcar said.

If elderly residents living alone do not want to receive phone calls, Burcar encourages them to bring a spare house key to the public safety department and fill out a contact card. That way officers can access the home and know who to contact in case of an emergency.

The City of Grosse Pointe has a similar initiative to kindness calls, called S.A.L.E. After many residents were impacted by recent flooding, City officers went by elderly residents’ homes after hours to assist them in cleaning out their basements. Grosse Pointe Park discussed making a database of dependent residents for the next emergency, so they know who to check on.

Woods residents may be registered to receive calls each morning by contacting the direct line for public safety dispatch at (313) 343-2410.