NORWICH – The Area Agency on Aging is preparing for changes in the Chenango County Lifeline Program that will affect senior citizens throughout the county who depend on the free service.

In November, the agency announced that it would no longer offer the current service through Philips Lifeline, saying in the Bullthistle Bulletin that the change is “necessary because technological advancements and product development have made our current system outdated” and that Philips Lifeline can no longer support a local monitoring system.

The agency is currently discussing new options for lifeline services that include switching to Doyle Securities from the Buffalo area or continuing a partnership under new stipulations with the Massachusetts based company, Philips Lifeline. The services currently received by Philips Lifeline will still be available to the county until the end of 2012, according to Brian Wessels, coordinator of services at the county Area Agency on Aging, but a decision about whether or not the agency will continue services through the company has not yet been made.

“We are in negotiations with two different companies,” said Wessels. “The county board of supervisors are supportive of the agency providing emergency response services no matter who we enter into the contract with.”

As it stands, Chenango County Lifeline (the agency’s lifeline program through Philips Lifeline) sends distress signals from enrolled seniors directly to a 911 dispatcher in Chenango County. Under a new lifeline agreement, calls will first be sent to a call center of the service provider then forwarded to the county’s 911 dispatcher.

“The immediate concern is how it will affect response time,” said Wessels. He added that if affected, advanced communication systems make the changes in response time minimal.