CONTACT Cape-Atlantic

Mission: To provide “free” telephone reassurance and community support for older adults, people with disabilities and those who are lonely, living alone, or feeling isolated from their community.

CONTACT Cape-Atlantic is a nonprofit community service organization based in Atlantic and Cape May counties, New Jersey. Our organization is part of the larger national CONTACT USA network. It aims to support individuals who are elderly, disabled, or experiencing social isolation through its telephone reassurance program.

Founded in 1973, CONTACT Cape-Atlantic initially focused on telephone crisis intervention and has since expanded its services. To this day, we are proud to continue to be volunteer driven. Today, CONTACT Cape-Atlantic is home to 150 volunteers who make approximately 7,000 reassurance calls per month to an average of 200 clients per day.

Our Programs include:

• Telephone Reassurance Program: We provide daily telephone calls to older adults and people with disabilities living alone in Atlantic and Cape May counties. We offer a friendly hello and check-in to make sure all is well with our client. The program’s goal is to help these individuals continue their independent living.
• Gatekeeper Program: This is an organized outreach effort designed to identify, refer, and respond to the needs of at-risk older adults and people with disabilities living in our community. This program focuses on identifying warning signs and providing a contact phone number to call for help. We train the employees of community businesses and corporations who work with the public to serve as community gatekeepers by identifying and referring older adults and people with disabilities who may be in need of services.
• PERS Monitoring: Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) are fall detection systems that help keep people safe and independent. When someone needs help, they push a button on their Fall Detection Pendant to instantly connect to emergency operators who can send the help. Our volunteers makes monthly calls to Atlantic County residents who were given pendants, to assure those issued pendants are working properly. If a client or family needs to return or replace the unit, our volunteers can assist them.