Misericórdia of Sines and REN renew partnership to provide free remote assistance to the elderly

REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais and Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Sines renewed the protocol which enables ensuring free Remote Assistance, 24 hours a day, to elderly people in the municipality. Responding to medical emergencies, identifying cases of domestic violence and combating loneliness are this project's main objectives. All it takes is for the users to press a button in a remote control and within seconds they will be contacted by a call centre. 

The service central, under the purview of Helphone, works on a permanent basis, 365 days a year, and does not require having a phone at hand. With operators especially trained for this purpose, the system works through a button on a remote control (which can be worn on the wrist like a watch or hung as a pendant) that users press, being quickly contacted by a call centre. This system is connected to a fixed intercom that covers an area of 200 m2 and is compatible with all phone networks in the market. 

There are currently 15 users, with an average age of 78 years, benefiting from this service: Two men and 13 women, all of them living in the urban area of the municipality of Sines. 

'We support this project because we believe it makes a difference to the population of Sines, especially for the elderly. REN is an active member of this community and it is with great pleasure that we renew this partnership with Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Sines', said Margarida Ferreirinha, the company's Head of Communication and Sustainability. 

Luís Venturinha de Vilhena, the Chairman of Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Sines emphasized the importance of this support by mentioning that 'direct assistance provided to the users who are isolated in their homes is very important, giving them a sense of safety, companionship and that help is available in case of need, in addition to the fact that, in many cases, this is the only way to fight loneliness.' He also added the relevance of the partnership, by stating 'We deeply acknowledge the maintenance, for another year, of this partnership in favour of those in greatest need. Without this cooperation it would be difficult to continue this project. For this reason I would like to thank and acknowledge one more act of generosity offered by REN and those who contributed to increase the institutional and personal value in its social and humane facet, and that worked to materialize this agreement.' He also shows receptiveness to future aid, adding that 'All support that may come to be given to our institution is welcome, whether within the scope of the social responsibility of companies or from benefactors'.