Triad Tools

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Senior centers and retirement communities: Most places where seniors reside or gather will add Triad programs to their agenda. Focus the program on law enforcement, crime/prevention, or all three. Open a forum to reach seniors, allay fears, and answer questions.

Public housing projects: City government, social services, law enforcement, and housing administration officials share concern for criminal issues in public housing. Older persons frequently live in unsatisfactory or unsafe arrangements. In high-risk areas, deliver a crime prevention message with concrete strategies for older persons' safety. Build a coalition between law enforcement, senior services, groups such as RSVP, and volunteers to protect seniors in high-risk areas.

Inner City Elders: For older persons living in high risk areas, use lectures established earlier in this manual, but focus primarily on safety and prevention. Obtain statistics and surveys, caution seniors about current crime, and offer training on maintaining a safe living space. Emphasize perpetual locked doors and on how criminals gain entry into senior homes. Some programs offer equipment, such as whistles, or collect unused cell phones to assist with keeping seniors safe - a charged cell phone, even without a purchased service agreement, can reach 911, provided seniors can identify their location.

Senior Escort Partnerships: Carefully select youth or youth programs to accompany older individuals, when needed. Collaborating with other social services will provide Triad volunteers. Bring community attention to specific older individual needs, such as escorts to and from religious services, grocery shopping, and community events, where crime against elders is prevalent. Recruit officers to live in senior housing, assigned with crime prevention projects, but chiefly to provide a deterring presence.

Safe Walks: Mr. Mark Fenton, editor of the Boston-based Walking Magazine, states "It's also clear that regular activity may reduce the likelihood of clinical depression -- a problem among older individuals who may begin to feel they are a burden to their family. With regular exercise, they can continue to be contributing members of society and if they want, they can get involved in volunteer work or part-time work."

In some neighborhoods; however, walking can be dangerous.

Remove seniors from these neighborhoods by locating a neutral, public place. Provide transportation and supervise walking events to alleviate the dangers of unsafe neighborhood exercise. Distribute advertisement material through newspapers, senior centers, food distribution programs, religious centers, and local advertisements to ensure participation.

Walks become a senior exercise option and an opportunity to educate seniors on crime prevention. Make this a weekly event arranged in a community space, such as zoo, mall, or park. Local hospitals or other health organizations may agree to sponsorship, providing juice or fruit. Although this event can be construed as a social gathering, maintain focus on the crime prevention message.

Senior Safe Shopping: Co-sponsored by Triad and local grocery store chains, the program provides safe senior transportation to buy groceries on designated days. Off-duty officers escort seniors into the store, where clerks assist them, allowing for additional time to shop and check out. Some grocery stores provide additional services to accommodate the group, such as smaller packages of produce, shopping assistants, chairs, or refreshments. Tie this event into the crime prevention message prior to the store visit.

Refrigerator Cards: Originating in Monmouth County, New Jersey, this easily replicable product is now widely used throughout the United States and other countries. A brightly-colored card is designed to display senior health information. The cards are printed and distributed by Triads. They list names and numbers of emergency contacts, doctor, health care plan, allergy, and current medications. See Appendix H for a Refrigerator Card example. Due to identity theft, do not list personal statistics.

File of Life: Another version of this program utilizes a clearly marked envelope, also to be placed on the door of the refrigerator, mounted magnetically. Along with medical information, the envelope can contain a copy of important health related papers, a living will, or other documentation a physician may need.
Older Persons Referral Card: These cards are carried by law enforcement for senior special services referrals. In Volusia County, Florida, where the cards were developed, officers are awareness instructed for seniors in need of services.

Law enforcement can use the card, included in Appendix I, to obtain services for seniors needing services, such as dementia, or malnutrition. Use volunteers to follow up with agency/service recommendations. The volunteer follows up and reports results.

Adopt-a-Senior: Begun in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, law enforcement officers "adopt" a vulnerable senior, with consideration to individual special needs. It provides an outside contact for isolated seniors. The law enforcement officer visits and telephones assigned seniors once a week. This program allows isolated seniors to maintain independence. Suggested guidelines are in Appendix J.

Senior Buddy System: The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study states that more than 500,000 Americans aged 60 and over were victims of domestic abuse in 1996. This study also found that only 16 percent of the abuse situations are referred for help: 84 percent remain hidden.

Triad focuses on preventing elder abuse by discussing plans for later years and developing reliable support networks. Establish a network system to help prevent or stop abuse: financial, physical, psychological, neglect or self-neglect. Train volunteer buddies to recognize changes in health, well being, mental attitude or finances. Seniors confide in a 'peer' that which they cannot with law enforcement or strangers.

Telephone Reassurance: Seniors state that their safety and sense of security increase with a daily telephone call. Telephone contact programs become Triad activities when law enforcement agencies sponsor the program through the S.A.L.T. Council. Locate seniors through senior groups, media articles, the Office on Aging and referrals from friends, neighbors, relatives and Older Person Referral Cards.

Live calls are recommended. Senior volunteers make or receive calls at the law enforcement agency or other suitable locations. Dependent on resources, either have the volunteer place the call, or receive it from the senior daily.

For more programs and how to implement them, please visit the Triad Manual.