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Prime Times Salt: Police/senior network helps older residents By John Darling In the old days, a police officer might have happened on a scene where an older person was no longer able to drive, cook, clean house or even get help. Because no crime had been committed, the officer may not have known what else he could do, or how to assist the senior in getting the help she needed. That can�t happen today, said Jackson County Sheriff�s Deputy Ed Temple, who serves as the region�s first chairman of a new umbrella network called SALT � Seniors and Law Enforcement Together. In a recent real-life case in White City, an incoherent senior was quickly plugged into the helping network, thanks to SALT. ACCESS provided her temporary shelter, helped get her home environment back on track and continues to make regular visits, said Deputy Ron Walsh, who found her. "A lot of our job is social work," Walsh said. "It was frustrating. You could talk (to her) until you�re blue in the face and it�s not going to help the situation. So, we�re fortunate to have the training and the helping network to rectify things." SALT was started by police and the American Association of Retired People nationwide some years ago, and began here last November. Its goal is to improve communication, understanding and resources among police, government agencies, hospitals, banks and the aging population so that seniors may stay active, safe and in the mainstream of life as long as possible, said Julie Westholder, SALT secretary-treasurer and ACCESS senior services coordinator. It might seem at first like just another committee, but SALT is doing things. Last winter, SALT, with backing from Evergreen Banking, brought an AARP lecturer from Washington, D.C. to train deputies and police from all local cities on how to communicate with seniors and understand their vulnerabilities. "Seniors traditionally have tremendous respect for law enforcement, but they also don�t like to give their names and get involved," said Temple. "We�ve learned that seniors often need you to speak slower and louder, but to remember their minds are just as quick, so don�t talk down to them." With increased networking among SALT members, police agencies are responding to fewer calls from seniors who are losing touch with daily realities, reporting non-existent odors, voices, prowlers, missing household items, or reporting spouses missing who in fact have Alzheimer�s and have gone wandering. "In the past, we used to go out there and say it�s OK," Temple said, "but now we get the agencies in on it. Often they find it�s caused by too many different kinds of medications." The local SALT and AARP are joining forces to produce a $50,000 video to train police, letter carriers, utility workers and social agencies about where to plug into the helping network when they discover seniors in need, he said. The video is in the proposal and fund-raising phase. SALT is spearheading an education effort, teaching seniors scam-resistance techniques and encouraging confidence about leaving home, riding the bus, shopping and losing some of their fear of being crime victims, Temple said. "Seniors have a big fear of being robbed or mugged, but statistically, a smaller percentage of seniors are crime victims, because they don�t go out as much and are less mobile." More pressing for seniors are telemarketing scams, Temple said. Today�s seniors were raised to be polite on the phone and not hang up on people, Temple said. Their vulnerability is compounded by the fact that many older people are isolated and want to talk to someone. SALT includes members from all local law enforcement agencies, ACCESS, Asante Health System, Providence Medford Medical Center, AARP, Salvation Army, Rogue Valley Manor, Ashland Senior Services, Rogue Valley Transportation District, Southern Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing, Rogue Valley Council of Governments, Evergreen Banking and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA