Mahoning County police forces to check in regularly on elderly

Law enforcement officers will check on seniors in their area.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Welcome to Senior Watch, Mahoning County.
The Mahoning County Sheriff's Department brought back Kay Lavelle, a retired deputy, to oversee a seniors program that strives to ensure the safety and well-being of the county's 56,833 residents who are 60 and over. She sent letters to chiefs of police in each jurisdiction to see if their officers would be willing to pop in to check up on seniors in their area.
"We got back a positive response" from the chiefs, Lavelle said Thursday at a press conference. "The officers will stop in, say hello, see if there are any problems."
Lavelle said some police departments were already checking on their seniors but now there is a centralized effort.
The Senior Watch services number is (330) 480-5078, and Lavelle can also be reached online at klavelle@sheriff.mahoning.oh.us.
The Senior Watch program started small late last year with deputies checking on seniors in the outlying areas. It is now spreading to all jurisdictions.
Sheriff Randall A. Wellington said many seniors live alone and feel isolated in their homes. Having deputies visit has provided the seniors with a feeling of safety.
"It's been a huge success -- they gave us coffee, cookies, cake," he said. "They made us feel part of the family."
Officers' services
Lavelle said the officers who visit seniors can see if they need help from service agencies and refer the needs back to her. She said the idea is to give them quality of life for their remaining years.
Senior Watch has partnered with Comfort Keepers, which offers in-home care. Owner David Mirkin said the program is looking for volunteers, some to educate officers on signs of neglect or abuse, medication and scams, and others to hold fundraisers for events, such as Christmas parties for seniors.
Lavelle said she'd like to see officers visit seniors at least once a week or call if they can't stop. She said there are volunteers to call, too.
Because seniors are easy marks for crime, having a uniformed officer and marked cruiser at their homes on a regular basis should serve as a crime deterrent, she said.
Lavelle said she's also approached animal welfare agencies to establish care for pets when seniors need a short hospital stay, for example.
Many seniors, she said, have only their pets for companionship and balk at the idea of hospitalization if they can't find someone to care for their animals.
meade@vindy.com