Woman found in unheated trailer

By Denise Dick

The 91-year-old was cold, disoriented and dehydrated.

BOARDMAN — A 91-year-old woman was hospitalized after police and a Mahoning County Job and Family Services employee found her living in a trailer with no heat.

A social worker at JFS’s Adult Protective Services contacted police Thursday after checking on the woman and finding no heat on in her home at Martin Trailer Park, South Avenue. Temperatures Thursday ranged between minus 4 and 18 degrees.

Capt. Jack Nichols said the incident ended well under the circumstances.

“At least she got help,” he said.

The agency has been checking on the woman since December, the social worker told Sgt. John Allsopp, and the employee was checking on her.

It was so cold inside the trailer that pop sitting on the kitchen counter had frozen. When ambulance personnel called to the scene asked the woman the last time she had eaten something, she said she couldn’t remember.

The protective services employee described the woman as “very disoriented, very cold and dehydrated,” according to a police report.

At protective services’ request, Allsopp completed an application for emergency admission for hospitalization, and the woman was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where she remained hospitalized Friday.

The protective services employee believed the woman was unable to provide for her basic physical needs and that she would benefit from medical treatment.

Nichols said that Adult Protective Services does a good job of addressing people and problems such as the one discovered Thursday at the mobile home park. The police department also has a Youth and Family Services Unit that gets involved in such cases. The unit’s case manager was briefed on this week’s incident too.

Nichols urged people to contact protective services or police if they suspect an elderly neighbor needs help and cannot care for him or herself.

“Certainly, we’re a good place to start,” he said.

Krishmu Shipmon, protective services unit supervisor, said the woman’s case was referred to the agency by someone who was concerned about her — and who said no one was caring for her.

Under law, the agency must investigate cases that are emergencies within 24 hours and non-emergencies within three days.

Upon checking on a referral, a social worker checks to see if an elderly person has heat, shelter and food.

“So many seniors are saving for a rainy day, and they don’t know it’s raining in their own homes right now,” Shipmon said.

The social worker was trying to persuade the woman to see a doctor, but she wouldn’t agree.

Shipmon said it’s important for people who believe an elderly person is a victim of abuse, neglect, self-neglect or exploitation to contact the agency. The number is (330) 884-6952.

For Trumbull County, the number is (330) 392-3248 and for Columbiana, it’s (330) 424-1471.

Lisa Solley, a spokeswoman for the District XI Area Agency on Aging, said it’s OK to be a nosy neighbor.

“We’ve really lost the ability to be a good neighbor,” she said.

People who live in neighborhoods with elderly people and are concerned about their welfare should check on them, stop by and see if they need anything, Solley said.

Mail or newspapers piling up is a sign of a problem, as is a lack of footsteps or tire tracks in the snow.

“If someone is concerned about a person’s safety, they should call their local police department or 911, and they’ll do a safety check,” Solley said.

People also need to call 211 if they suspect a neighbor needs help. People answering the phone at 211 can refer situations to APS or other appropriate authority immediately, she said.

“It’s really important for people to start using 211 for information and referral just like they use 911 in an emergency,” Solley said.

One problem is that APS is an unfunded mandate in Ohio. All of the state’s 88 counties share $500,000 in state funding for the service, she said.