LOWER SUICIDE RATES ASSOCIATED WITH A TELE-HELP TELE-CHECK SERVICE FOR THE ELDERLY AT HOME

Objective: The authors' goal was to determine the impact on suicidal b ehavior of Tele-Help/Tele-Check, a telephone service designed to provi de elderly people with home assistance. Tele-Help is an alarm system t hat the client can activate to call for help; in Tele-Check the client is contacted about twice a week for assessment of needs and for emoti onal support. Method: The authors determined the number of suicides am ong 12,135 elderly subjects who were connected to the Tele-Help/Tele-C heck service in the Veneto region of Italy front Jan. 1, 1988, to Dec. 31, 1991, and compared it with the suicide rate for the general popul ation in the Veneto region. Results: Only one death by suicide was fou nd in the elderly subjects connected to Tele-Help/Tele-Check, compared with the expected number of 7.44 for the general population (standard ized mortality ratio=13.44%). Conclusions: Since many of the tradition al risk factors for suicide were concentrated in the elderly subjects studied the Tele-Help/Tele-Check service appears to provide support of great interest for the prevention of suicide in the elderly.