Police Urge Seniors to Register for Weekly, Emergency Wellness Checks

It’s an old-fashioned system of checking in and making sure a vulnerable population in Fair Haven is safe and sound.

It’s called the Fair Haven Senior Program, and police want to make certain all of the town’s elders are signed up. The problem has been that some don’t use computers and miss online communications advertising the program, and others have been a bit skittish.

Starting in 2005, those who heard about and registered for the police-sponsored initiative got and continue to get a weekly call from police “to check on their well-being and arrange to help them with their needs for that week, such as getting to the store or the doctor, getting their walks shoveled in snow and, more importantly, making sure we’re checking in with them during emergencies or extreme weather conditions like extreme heat or cold.

"It’s a great asset to seniors and for us to protect our seniors,” Fair Haven Police Chief Darryl Breckenridge said.

But, he added, police are pretty certain that not all seniors are registered.

So, the plea is to spread the word to those who are not aware and would not or could not register online.

“Tell them to call us or their families can call us,” Breckenridge said. “We will do everything we can to make sure we can get them set up and communicate with them regularly.”

Cellphones also can be set up to receive text messages and alerts from police, he added. So, if the seniors do not have computers, it’s an alternative.

Getting them registered and eliminating the reticence is key, Breckenridge said. “Some are resistant to police being involved,” he said. “We just want to help them out.”

Families can register their seniors online or by calling Borough Hall at 732-747-0247 or police at 732-747-0991.