Blues and Gray --- A Senior Patrol for Seniors
By Kelly Puente, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/03/2008 10:26:24 PM PDT
LONG BEACH - It's 9:30 a.m. on May 28 and 82-year-old Senior Police Partner Tacy Hunter is preparing for another day on the job.
Hunter and her partner, Sherman Lewandowski, 82, receive their first assignment on a slip of blue paper: "An 86-year-old man hasn't been out of bed in a month," the assignment reads. "Very depressed. He talks about wanting to die. Feels abandoned."
The partners, along with rookie Becky Katzen, 61, hop in a specially marked white police car and head out to the man's home in East Long Beach.
"We're hoping he's in better condition than the last time we visited," Hunter says. "Depression is a strange thing."
The Long Beach Police Department's Senior Police Partners are a group of volunteers ages 55 and older who offer advice and assistance to the senior community.
They're specially trained to recognize crimes such as elder abuse and fraud, and assist police in grief counseling. They also act as the "eyes and ears of the police department," helping with parking enforcement, safety patrols and graffiti reporting.
Formed in 1995, the program currently has 19 volunteers who work an average of about 20 hours a month. The oldest volunteer is 84.
Between 1 million and 2 million Americans ages 65 and older have been injured, exploited or mistreated by someone on whom they depend for care or protection, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
In Los Angeles County, 14,471 cases of elder abuse on adults 65 and older were reported in 2007, according to Adult Protective Services.
Experts are concerned that the number of abuse cases could increase as the number of senior citizens skyrockets over the new few decades. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 37.3 million people ages 65 and older were living in the U.S. in 2006, making up 12 percent of the population. By 2050, the number is expected to increase to 86.7 million and would make up 21 percent of the population.
In her years as a partner, Hunter says she has helped many of her peers in different abuse situations.
"(Seniors) need to know we're here for a purpose," she says. "Whether they feel it or not, there's people out there willing to help them."
The Senior Police Partners are looking for more volunteers. For information, call volunteer coordinator Evelyn Johnson at 562-570-5299.
kelly.puente@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1305
Abridged
SOURCE: PressTelegram
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