Police expand senior-watch program

By Elise Franco

efranco@vindy.com

CANFIELD

City police are focusing community-service efforts on a demographic they feel needs special attention.

The department is using its five auxiliary police officers and collaborating with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department to expand its senior-watch program, said Canfield Assistant Chief Scott Weamer.

“The whole point is to try to increase community outreach by expanding the senior watch,” he said. “It’s mainly for seniors in the community who don’t have a nearby support system.”

Weamer said the department previously used one patrolman to check on senior residents, but working with the sheriff’s department’s senior-service unit will allow them to expand more effectively, at no cost to Canfield.

Kay Lavelle, senior-service coordinator for the sheriff’s office, said many Mahoning Valley towns have senior programs, but not all of them are coordinated with the county’s.

Lavelle said about 200 seniors are signed up countywide for the program, including four Canfield residents.

“In order for us to cover all of Mahoning County, we need the assistance of other agencies,” she said. “The seniors benefit by having an agency they can call during a crisis or an unforeseen situation.”

Weamer said the city’s auxiliary officers, who work on a volunteer basis, received their training for the program through the sheriff’s department.

In order to qualify for the check-ups, seniors in Canfield must contact the police department and fill out a form, Weamer said.

“The program is designed to identify people 60 and older who would benefit from periodic visits,” Weamer said. “And I think there are a lot more [seniors in need] out there than we know about.”

Jim Rice, auxiliary sergeant, said the officers’ duty is to make contact with each senior in the program on a weekly basis, whether it is in person or over the phone.

Rice said the officers are expected to check that a senior is in good health and that his or her home is kept up.

He said sometimes they’ll do household chores that an elderly person may have trouble with, such as reaching something on a high shelf or changing a light bulb.

“The residents are open to this, because they see us as somebody who cares and is there to help them out,” he said.

An 84-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous out of privacy concerns, said she was signed up for the program when she moved to Canfield several years ago.

“I was going to be here all by myself. ... It’s like an insurance blanket,” she said.

The woman said the officer who visits her has helped her learn about Canfield and has given her emergency contacts, such as hospital and police phone numbers.

“It encourages you to get out. ... It encouraged me to get out and vote,” she said. “I don’t think I would have gone on my own if I hadn’t talked to [Sgt. Rice] about it.”

The resident said it’s possible more seniors don’t take advantage of the program because they don’t want to lose their independence.

“I think they should just stop and think ‘I am now 70 or 80; I’m not 30,’” she said. “It’s important that the community know you’re OK. We want to be OK, but the community should know we’re OK, too.”

Seniors in Canfield interested in the program may contact the police department at 330-533-4903, and seniors in other Mahoning County communities can call Lavelle at 330-480-5078.