To the editor:
Please let me share this with your readers. Every day at whatever time I choose, the Sheriff’s office phones me. It is referred to as an “Are You Okay?” call.  It’s a recording, so I am not bothering anyone. If I don’t answer the phone, or push the button they ask me to, they call back in 15 minutes. If I don’t answer it then, they send a policeman to the door to check on me. Can you imagine how comforting this is to an elderly or disabled person living alone? To know that you will not be injured or unconscious until someone gets curious about you.
– Elizabeth Shelley, Tryon