FAIR HAVEN — A long-time community program helps the police department make sure that all is well with the borough’s older residents who are living alone.
The Well Being Check Program was designed to let police officers check in on senior residents to let them know there is someone looking out for their well being without taking away their independence.
“This program has been in place for at least 15 years, long before I started in the borough, and is a program for seniors who reside alone and who may not have family members that live close by,” Patrolman Eric Patton said in an interview Aug. 27.
“Many of these residents want to continue living an independent lifestyle, so this program offers reassurance to the residents and their family members that someone is looking out for them and their well being and will be there to assist them should the need arise.”
According to Patton, at least eight residents currently participate in the program.
“The number can definitely fluctuate; a few years ago we had 12 people participating in the program,” he said. “Unfortunately, people pass away or sometimes their needs change, and they end up moving into an assisted living residence or moving in with family.”
Patton said signing up to participate in the program is simple, and all senior and specialneeds residents are welcome to join.
“Those who want to join just simply fill out a detailed information sheet which asks them for information on things such as medical issues they may have, medications they take, emergency contact information of family and friends, doctor information … and all this information is kept in a binder at the station that is only accessible by department personnel,” he said.
Once a resident is enrolled in the program, Patton said, a phone call is made once a week to each member to see how they are doing physically and to check if there are any issues going on with their homes — such as with plumbing, heating, air-conditioning or electrical.
“That first initial visit after someone signs up, I always like to make a personal visit to the resident,” he said. “I get to talk with them personally, get to know more about them and get to make sure their living conditions are safe.”
Patton said that if no contact is made with the senior on the first call, two more calls are made before an officer will respond to the home to check on the resident.
If the resident is not home, a call is made to an emergency contact to see if they know the resident’s whereabouts and to check when they last had contact.
Further investigation will take place if the senior’s whereabouts are still unknown at that time.
Participating members are also contacted during weather-related incidents such as hurricanes, blizzards, heat waves and extreme cold.
“The fact that we are able to provide and focus a program such as this to our residents I think is one of the benefits of being a small town,” Patton said.
“We love being able to connect with our community members, and during these calls the residents and I talk about anything from current events to how things used to be, and over the years I have really gotten to know these individuals and have formed great relationships with them.”