Eagle Tribune 8/3/08 - John Basilesco

PELHAM — When police Lt. Brian McCarthy was named the department's new elderly services officer earlier this year, one of his first moves was to start a new daily check-in program aimed at helping seniors maintain their independence. Seniors who sign up for the program are required to call police daily to say that they're OK. If they don't call by 11 a.m., the Police Department calls them. If there's no answer, they send a patrol car to check the person's home.

So far, McCarthy said, the program is off to a good start, and he's working on some other programs to aid the town's senior population.

— John Basilesco

 

Are the seniors happy to see a police officer checking on them?

They're very happy to see us, very happy to see we're checking on them. It gives my officers an opportunity to interact with members of the elderly population. Some of the participants don't get a lot of visitors, so when they see a policeman coming to their door with the specific purpose of checking on their well-being, I think that makes them feel very good and very appreciative.

 

How many seniors are in the program?

We have about 12 participants in the program. My goal is to get as many people in the program as I can. Before the beginning of September, I'm going to probably go to both elderly communities, the one on Windham Road and the one on Main Street, to see if I can garner up a few more participants.

 

Have you found any seniors injured or in medical distress in their homes?

We have had at least a handful of situations where people have forgotten to call in, and we've sent officers to the house. We haven't found anybody injured, but we've found people who forgot to call in. Or a family member had taken them out for the day and they forgot to call.

 

What happens when you don't hear from one of the seniors?

The followup after we don't hear from the participants has been rigorous, to say the least. We get right over there to make sure they're not incapacitated.

 

Do you plan to start other programs for seniors?

In the coming year, the Pelham Police Department will launch several additional programs specific to our elderly population. These programs will include: Senior Citizen Police Academy, AARP Driver Safety Program, Operation Safe Return and The Vial for Life.

 

Who else helps with the program?

We're in close contact with Sue Hovling, senior center director. If we go to someone's house, and nobody is there, we reach out to Sue Hovling, who often knows where the person is. She's been an asset to the program. It's an overall good effort by everybody. Sue Hovling and the senior center have helped up promote the program.