EMPOWERED BY IM-OK: ALONE BUT NOT ISOLATED

It was a typical day in the neighbourhood, the afternoon sun relentlessly beating down and the streets relatively empty, with most residents choosing to take refuge from the stifling heat by staying indoors. The familiar sounds of daytime soaps and other household activities emanated from flats lined up along the corridors.

Amid this seemingly tranquil environment however, a senior lay stricken by himself at home, very much in distress. He had been coughing blood, but was too feeble to call for help. It could be hours, even a day, before anyone discovered his state, and by then his condition might had deteriorated into a critical stage.

Fortunately, the senior, Mr K, was alone but not isolated. For in his home was an IM-OK device – one of hundreds of tablets being deployed to LB seniors to monitor their well-being and safety at home. The device empowers seniors to proactively check in daily by pressing an “I am OK” button at a scheduled time.

That day, when Mr K missed his check-in and also did not respond to a reminder alarm, an alert was triggered via SMS to his daughter. Sensing something amiss, she rang up a Lions Befrienders staff for help to conduct a home visit to her father. Upon arrival, Mr K was found looking pale and in great discomfort. His daughter was immediately contacted, and it was decided that emergency service was required. An ambulance was called, and medical treatment was administered to him. A potentially life-threatening situation was averted.

Today, Mr K has made a full recovery, and is once more seen out and about in his neighourhood as an active member of the community. But things could have been so different if not for the intervention of the IM-OK device, just one of several different technological innovations initiated by Lions Befrienders to aid LB seniors, especially those who are less socially connected, in various ways.