Lifeline

A lifeline is a line or rope used to support a person who is in physical difficulty, such as a person who is at risk of drowning. The term may now be used to refer to several different things which draw from this original meaning to some extent.

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Lifeline (counselling service)

Lifeline is the name of a free, 24 hour telephone counselling service established in 1963 in Sydney, Australia by the late Reverend Dr Sir Alan Walker of the Methodist Central Mission. Several other organisations following the same principles and standards were subsequently formed in other countries.

In Australia, Lifeline provides telephone counselling to members of the public via a network of Lifeline Centres maintained by trained volunteers. As at February 2005, there were 42 Lifeline Centres providing services from almost 60 locations, with about 5000 staff handling calls and another 5000 volunteers involved with fundraising and administration.

For the year July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005, Lifeline received over half a million telephone calls. In the same period volunteer telephone counsellors listened for more than 500,000 hours.

Lifeline is part of an international network, and through its affiliation with LifeLine International, has centres in nineteen countries. Lifeline is also a member of the Volunteer Emotional Support Helplines (VESH), a partnership between Befrienders Worldwide, International Federation of Telephone Emergency Services (IFOTES) and LifeLine International. This network of volunteer counsellors provides services in 61 countries.

History and development

Rev Walker was inspired to establish Lifeline after realizing that he alone did not have the time or resources to provide sufficient attention and help to the increasing number of people facing difficulties and personal crises who were contacting him for assistance.

Following two years of planning and preparation, a nine month training course for 150 people, the renovation of a century old building owned by the Methodist Central Mission in downtown Sydney, and the listing of the Lifeline telephone number on the emergency page of the telephone directory, the first call to the service was received on March 16, 1963.

Shortly after the service opened, it was featured in an article in TIME magazine, which led to the establishment of similar services around the world. The first international convention of Lifeline was held in Sydney in August 1966 to guide the development of Lifeline services and to establish quality standards, which led to the formation of Lifeline International.

Although all Lifeline Centres adopt the same standards, different names are used in different countries. For example, in Canada the service is called Telecare; in Japan, Inochi no Denwa (meaning "life phone"); and in the United States of America, Contact. There are currently about 14 Lifeline member organisations around the world.

In 1999, Lifeline International and similar organisations such as Befrienders International and International Federation of Telephonic Emergency Services (IFOTES) signed a memorandum of understanding and pledged to work together to provide an effective telephone crisis counseling service throughout the world.

Other uses

Lifeline Helicopter

Lifeline was Indiana's first critical care transport system in the state and remains the most experienced provider of its kind. The air medical transport program began in 1979. Since that time, Lifeline has flown more than 29,500 accident-free patient transports (through October 2007).

All Lifeline team members have more than several years of experience in emergency medicine and are specially trained to care for children and adults. Transports may include staffing by the following personnel based on each individual mission:

• Physicians
• Flight Nurses
• Flight Paramedics

LifeLine helicopters typically fly within a 150-mile radius of Indianapolis. Airplane transport is available for less critically ill patients who are farther away from Indianapolis. Lifeline's fleet is comprised of four BK-117 twin-engine helicopters, a rotor wing aircraft with an average cruise speed of 150 miles per hour.

LifeLine provides air medical transport access across Indiana and portions of Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio with bases located at:

Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis (N117MH) Howard Regional Health System, Kokomo (N112LL) Hulman Air Field, Terre Haute (N113LL) Columbus Regional Hospital, Columbus (N118LL)

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Community alarm units

In the United Kingdom, Lifeline refers to community alarm units, manufactured by Tunstall Group Ltd, which when linked with telecare sensors provide vulnerable people with a means of contacting help via a network of monitoring centres throughout the UK.

Freeplay Foundation (radios in Africa)

The Freeplay Foundation, a non-profit humanitarian organisation based in Africa, provides targeted access to information and education through the distribution of free Lifeline Radios [2].

TV

Lifeline is also the name of a short regular BBC Sunday afternoon appeal programme that asks viewers to help the unaided and reports on the work of various charities in and around the UK.

Various presenters have included Cliff Michelmore and Nick Ross.

Game shows

In the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, a lifeline can be used by a contestant who is having trouble answering a question. A lifeline allows the contestant to phone a friend, ask the audience, or eliminate two of the four answer choices.

Philips Lifeline

Lifeline also refers to the name of a private, subscription-based medical alert service provided in the US by Philips Lifeline (a division of Royal Philips Electronics, which purchased Lifeline Systems, Inc. in 2006). Lifeline Systems was founded in 1974 by Dr. Andrew Dibner. Elderly subscribers wear medical alert devices on the wrist or around the neck, which when activated in the event of an emergency, automatically dial an emergency telephone number for assistance.

Lifeline Charity

A charity that help's people in Serbia. This charity is Lead or atleast is mostly controlled by Princess Katerina of The Former Republic of Yugoslavia or Serbia

LifeLine Ambulance Service

Found in 2006 by Brian Connor (President), Brian O'Connor (Vice President - Business Development), Michael McPherson (Vice President - Administration & Finance), and Jon Kulis (Vice President - Operations). This ambulance service resides in Woburn, Massachusetts, with satellite offices in Arlington, Boston, and Needham, providing Chair Car, Limo, ALS and BLS emergent and non-emergent service to various hospitals and nursing facilities in the metro Boston area. First call was completed in August 2006 and is continuing to grow at a rapid rate making this company one of the fast growing ambulance services in Eastern MA. [3]