You're also lonely -- everyone seems to be so busy these days. Some things are worrying you. And then there are those little aches and pains that needle.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could talk to somebody -- someone you could just pick up the phone and have a friendly chat with? And wouldn't it be comforting if your phone rang and you heard someone on the other end say: "Hi, how are you doing today? Is everything all right?'' Well, hang in there seniors, because if all goes well, Friendly Telephoning could soon become a part of your life.

Although similar schemes already operate successfully in the United States, the concept is new to Bermuda.

As its name implies, Friendly Telephoning is a system whereby participating seniors stuck at home can keep in touch with each other by telephone.

Pushing to get the scheme off the ground in Bermuda is Mrs. Barbara Marshall who is confined to her compact apartment 24 hours a day.

A retired medical worker and trained nurse, Mrs. Marshall moves with difficulty and is a poor sleeper. Like many seniors, she finds the nights particularly long, and her pain at times a real irritant.

It is at times like these that she especially enjoys chatting with someone.

So, she picks up the telephone and dials one of three people whom she has never met but whose numbers were given to her as being appreciative of an electronic visit.

The call to Bill was a typical example.

"I phoned him at 9.30 p.m. one night and we talked until 4 in the morning straight!'' she said. "What did we talk about? Politics, the weather, religion, baseball -- you name it...'' Although the length of the call was unusual, Mrs. Marshall said it was because the two were enjoying each other's "company.'' Bill is also a poor sleeper, so it was an interesting, fun way to pass the long night hours.

While other calls may be much briefer, to Mrs. Marshall the result is the same: the shared comfort of a friendly voice.

Her idea of establishing Friendly Telephoning in Bermuda grew, in part, out of extensive assistance given to a friend whose husband was ill.

"She would phone me at two or three o'clock in the morning for advice and I would counsel her. It helped a lot, and I thought, `Why not something similar for everyone?'' So, when the Ministry of Health, Social Services & Housing conducted a door-to-door survey on the needs of seniors, Mrs. Marshall put forward her proposal and hoped it would be included in the final report.

When she discovered it was not, she began to move in other directions. Enter Rev. Fred Hassell, director of the seniors' programme at Admiralty House who, along with Dr. Paul Sheppard, director of Age Concern, and Canon Thomas Nisbett, is an enthusiastic supporter of the proposed scheme.

"Someone had to get the ball rolling, and I'm thankful it was Barbara. She has really challenged and inspired us, and we certainly want to give her our support,'' Rev. Hassell said. "We want the scheme to go forward and be organised in a formal way.'' The first step is to gather the names of all those who are interested in becoming part of the Friendly Telephoning network. Once that information is collated, volunteers will be trained to screen and match people of like interests.

"In the first instance, Barbara will keep a log of who is interested in receiving the service. Then we are going to put a system together. Sometime in the Fall, Age Concern will bring people together of mutual interests, and have training work shops to work up a formal system and have a log of people who want to be called and try to match them,'' Rev. Hassell explained.

Lest there be any misunderstanding, he stressed that Friendly Telephoning would not be an advice bureau, medical consultancy or emergency service.

"Basically, it is designed to put housebound people who are alone, awake at night, experiencing pain and so forth, in touch with one another, and give them some reassurance whenever they have a problem. Friendly Telephoning will provide an informal, daily or nightly network to determine that these people are all right, or whether they have specific needs. It is visiting by phone,'' he said.

Describing the telephone as "a blessing from God'', Rev. Hassell said it could be a real lifeline to those confined to home.

And no-one knows that better than Mrs. Marshall. Not only is the telephone an important lifeline for her, but it is also the way she earns a living.

"I take bookings for a charter fishing boat,'' she explained. "It keeps me busy.'' With everything strategically placed around her bed, Mrs. Marshall is also able to keep a broad perspective on the global scene. With the flick of a thumb she can roam the world through a host of cable TV channels, record shows she wants to watch later, or just enjoy a video.

At night, however, she turns to the radio, which is permanently set to her favourite phone-in programme in Boston.

"It's really fascinating,'' she says of that. "I've even phoned in myself to let them know someone in Bermuda's listening. The midnight to 5 a.m. guy runs a trivia quiz, which I enjoy.'' Despite her incapacitation, Mrs. Marshall has a lively mind and particularly likes game shows.

"I'm here yelling the answers at them. I win thousands every day but they never pay me!'' she laughs.

Once an avid sport fisher, Mrs. Marshall goes for TV sports programmes which have plenty of action, such as motor racing, baseball, skating and gymnastics.

Despite being housebound, she is perfectly content.

"I have never been a person who gets lonesome,'' she says. "I've always been happy with my own company.'' Nonetheless, she is anxious to do what she can to help those who aren't so blessed via the Friendly Telephoning scheme.

"There must be a lot of people awake at night,'' she reasons. "First, we will organise a committee who will put some structure to Friendly Telephoning, then we will have a number that people can call. We will also contact the churches and seniors' clubs to let them know the service is available.'' To eliminate crank calls, Rev. Hassell said a "central clearing house'' would ultimately be set up whereby interested participants could register, be screened and ultimately put in touch with one other.

"But first we must collate the information,'' he said.

For further information on the Friendly Telephoning programme, please telephone Mrs. Marshall at 295-5917, or Rev. Hassell at 295-9094 Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

HELLO THERE! -- Housebound Mrs. Barbara Marshall enjoys a friendly chat. The instigator of Friendly Telephoning, a proposed telephone network for seniors and shut-ins, Mrs. Marshall is working with Age Concern and others to bring the scheme to fruition.