People who love to talk on the telephone should enjoy the CheckMates program.

There are two ways to participate in CheckMates: volunteer to make outgoing calls or be on the receiving end.

There is no charge for the service, and there is only one qualification. Recipients and volunteers must be "seniors" or "older adults."

CheckMates is a "peer-led telephone reassurance program of AgeWell Pittsburgh," according to news releases. "Older adult volunteers make weekly telephone calls to seniors who may be homebound, isolated and lonely and may respond to a friendly telephone call."

CheckMates is available in Scott at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh's South Hills branch, 345 Kane Blvd. The program is in its second year at the JCC in Squirrel Hill.

Six volunteers have completed training at the Scott JCC; two more are being trained and more are being sought.

"We can never have too many volunteers," said Amy Gold, a social worker who is the CheckMates coordinator.

Volunteers generally donate about an hour each week and make seven to 15 calls. In Scott, volunteers usually come in on Fridays, but the "work" schedule is very flexible.

Sometimes, volunteers are just making friendly calls to make sure all is well. If there are problems, volunteers will report to Ms. Gold, who will try to find an agency that can meet needs.

"Someone may need a ride to a doctor's office. Others may need help with meals or help with housework," Ms. Gold said.

On a recent Friday, volunteers Nancy Rank, 69, of Collier, and Harold Segal, 84, of Mt. Lebanon, came to the Scott center and started working the phones.

"Some people say they would like to volunteer, but they'd like to make calls from their own home," Ms. Gold said. "Many people are home a lot, and we want them to come here for interaction" with other volunteers and staff.

Often, volunteers then become involved with programs at the JCC, which is part of the CheckMates goal

"Nancy and Harold were aleady very active and outgoing," Ms. Gold said.

Mrs. Rank has been coming to the Scott center "for three or four years," she said, "and the swimming pool here has been a life-saver for me."

Following knee surgery and physical therapy, regular exercise has helped her knee move better, she said.

"This center has really helped me, so I'd like to give back."

Mrs. Rank made a call to a man in assisted living. The first time she contacted him, "he acted like he did not want or need a phone call," she said.

Casting about for something to talk about, she mentioned that she had planted tomatoes for the second year.

"I could almost see the smile on his face," Mrs. Rank said. The man had been growing tomatoes for years.

"Like many people, he was reluctant to ask for help," Ms. Gold said, "but he was happy to give help."

In a recent call, Mrs. Rank asked the man why her tomato plants had only one bloom. She asked what she was doing wrong.

"Oh, really!" she said, after listening to his response. "Thank you so much!"

Mrs. Rank learned that a shortage of sunny days was delaying the growth and bloom of the plants.

Mr. Segal quickly forged a connection with a woman whose husband had died recently. His own wife had died a couple of years ago, so he was able to relate to her problems and concerns.

"She's not used to living alone, so we're talking about that," Mr. Segal said. "I'm trying to get her to go to a bereavement group. She and I talk, and she is reading a book about loss."

CheckMates gets some names and phone numbers of potential call recipients from children and concerned neighbors. It also uses available lists of names and ages from a 2002 demographic study by the United Jewish Federation and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.

While all seniors are eligible, CheckMates is targeting the most vulnerable -- people over age 85. In Bridgeville, for instance, there are 186 people in that category, and 204 in Carnegie.

In training volunteers, "we've found that if we ask people if they need us to call them again, they usually say no," Ms. Gold said. "If we say we'd love to call back next week just to chat, they usually say yes. If people say they don't want any calls, we don't bug them."

At the Squirrel Hill JCC, more than 200 seniors have been receiving weekly telephone calls for more than a year. Friendships generally develop between volunteers and the people they call.

The expansion of CheckMates into the South and West suburbs is supported by a recent grant from the United Way. CheckMates is a program of AgeWell Pittsburgh, which is a locally developed information and referral program that helps older adults maintain their independence at home and in the community.

AgeWell is a partnership between the Jewish Association on Aging, Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

For information about making or receiving CheckMates calls, contact Amy Gold at agold@jccpgh.org or 412-521-8011, ext. 207.