|
The Kings County Seniors' Safety program has been in operation since February 7, 2000. This program is a free service for seniors over the age of 50 in Kings County. This proactive, community based project allows the Safety Coordinator to visit with seniors at their convenience in their homes or as a group, to talk about safety and how seniors can protect themselves against being victims of crime.
Community Policing Officer, Cst. Gary Smith of the Kings Detachment, RCMP, and full time coordinator, Kim Levy, worked on developing the program since November, 1999 with the help of Annapolis County's Seniors' Safety Coordinator, Sharon Elliott. The Kings County Seniors' program is modeled after Sharon's extremely successful program which has been educating seniors since 1996.
The Kings County Seniors' Safety program is not only endorsed by the RCMP, it is also a member of the Kings Crime Prevention Association. As a member, the program shares the Crime Prevention Mission Statement: to raise public awareness and improve the quality of life by creating safer communities through education and reduction of crime opportunities. We shall achieve our mission through partnership with public, police, private and corporate sectors and all levels of government.
The coordinator works out of the four Kings Detachment offices, in Wolfville, New Minas, Berwick and Kingston, and can be reached at any one of them. She also has met with and partnered with the Kentville Police Service to speak with seniors in Kentville.
The Seniors' Safety Program encompasses many services including information on safety and security in the home, personal and when traveling, information and referrals to other seniors' agencies in Kings County, information on frauds and scams and how to avoid being the victim of them, diabetic information including the availability of SHARPS containers, Medical Emergency Vials and answers to any questions seniors may have.
The Medical Emergency Vial or Vial of Life is a very important component of the Kings County Seniors' Safety program. The Vial of Life is available free and it contains all medical information, such as, a list of all prescription medications, any health concerns, allergies, emergency contacts, health card number, doctor and date of birth. All this information is kept in a small pill bottle kept in the refridgerator with an orange decal stuck on the front of the fridge. This decal alerts emergency personnel, whether they are police, ambulance or fire department, that all vital information about seniors is inside.
The objective of the Seniors' Safety program is to provide information on personal safety and security in the home and also to address the questions, concerns and needs of seniors on an individual or group basis.
SENIORS COORDINATOR: BETH HILL
KINGS DETACHMENT RCMP:
WOLFVILLE...902-542-3817
NEW MINAS...902-679-5555
BERWICK.....902-538-3666
KINGSTON....902-765-3317
|
