So. River launches lockbox program for local seniors

First-responders could access home if problem is suspected

BY JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent

SOUTH RIVER — Anew borough program is designed to help seniors during potential emergencies.

Office on Aging Director Kim Bell said she was approached last year by some local seniors after they read about a program instituted in Franklin Township. There, lockboxes were placed on the homes of seniors at their request so that emergency personnel could quickly assist them if needed.

Bell agreed it was a good idea, and as such, her office and the borough police department have partnered together on a similar initiative, called Operation Blue Angel.

“It’s very common for police dispatch to receive a call from the children, friends or neighbors of senior citizens who have not been seen or heard from in a questionable period of time. If phone calls to the home go unanswered, no one opens the door and mail has piled up in the mailbox, it’s a good indication that there’s a problem, and first responders can easily access the home without destroying the property,” Bell said.

The program is strictly voluntary, and the lockboxes are currently available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“I was able to purchase exactly 260 lockboxes with funding secured through a Household Maintenance grant, which is managed by my office and facilitated by the Middlesex County Department of Senior Services,” Bell said. The borough is in the last year of a three-year grant cycle. “With 2010 grant funding, I purchased and disseminated carbon monoxide detectors. In 2011, I purchased the lockboxes for Operation Blue Angel, and I’m considering the possibilities for the anticipated 2012 funding,” she said.

The lockbox program is limited to Office onAging members who are 85 or older and live alone, and members age 60 or older who either live alone or are frequently alone and have a medical condition that is potentially incapacitating.

Once received, applications are reviewed immediately, Bell said. Seniors will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire that will provide emergency responders with key information.

“After a senior is accepted into the program [meaning they completed the application and met the criteria] and they advise us that they have the spare key readily available to secure inside the lockbox, an installation appointment is scheduled within two weeks,” Bell said. “We’re hopeful that the seniors, or their family members, assess their personal situations, and apply for the program based on whether or not they think they could benefit from it.”

The Office on Aging and police department, Bell said, have been working to educate residents about the program and field their possible questions proactively. However, she said she is occasionally asked whether the resident or his or her family members will be able to access the residence through the lockbox.

“The answer is no,” Bell said. “The program is not designed to be a ‘lock-out’ service, and the combination on the lockbox is only available to responding emergency personnel. It is not provided to the resident. For an added security measure, the combination will be reset to a new combination each time it is utilized.”

The emergency personnel who would be allowed to enter a home are police, fire and the EMS/rescue squad, Bell said.

Bell said borough Police Chief John Bouthillette, who recently announced his retirement, was instrumental in helping get Operation Blue Angel off the ground.

“Without his support, it would have been impossible to introduce the program to the South River senior community,” she said of Bouthillette.

Woodbridge and South Brunswick have instituted similar programs.

Questions about Operation Blue Angel should be directed to the Office ofAging at 732-257-2340.