McMinn Senior Alliance For Empowerment
McSAFE
McSAFE grew from a community acknowledgment that there was no local group meeting to identify senior needs and resources and no group to be a voice for elder abuse issues. The group immediately identified several senior issues and began work to address needs within our community.
One of the first issues identified was the need for seniors to have a resource for referral of a reputable contractor/repair person for home repairs. Another issue was the need for a senior resource directory specific to our community. Another issue was the frustration felt by law enforcement departments regarding resources for demented seniors they encounter and their lack of legal recourse to assist them.
McSAFE had its first organizational meeting in August 2008 and has regular monthly meetings since then. This group has made great progress in less than a year -
- Contractor Integrity Cards: A program to refer and identify reputable repair persons will be implemented no later than June 2009. The McMinn County Sheriff’s Department readily agreed to absorb the cost of background checks, the McMinn and Etowah Senior Centers each volunteered to distribute applications and maintain/update information, and the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce volunteered to work in the program by assisting with reference checks. The cost is minimal, three binders, a laminator/laminating sheets, and business cards. A group member agreed to absorb this cost.
- The File of Life: (folife.org) a program which works in conjunction with medical emergency responders to identify medical information for seniors in crisis and unable to provide information, will also be implemented no later than June, 2009. This program is funded by the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability.
- The group has recognized the need for a brochure to share information about McSAFE. The McSAFE brochure is in final phase of construction and will be ready for distribution by May 30, 2009. This brochure will be available to all members of the group for reproduction so that those producing or paying for printing will be able to acknowledge their business on the back of the brochure. A group member volunteered to create the brochure and her employer agreed to pay to print the first 300 brochures.
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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: McSAFE will promote WEAAD by having a booth during a local festival on May 30, 2009, where we will distribute elder abuse brochures, questionnaires for input regarding local senior needs, answer questions and provide other senior-related information. We will also participate in a neighboring county’s ElderWatch Safety and Health Fair. Other plans for WEAAD include:
- Proclamation from the County Mayor’s Office
- Educational presentations at local churches
- Newspaper articles
- Church bells to ring at 11 AM and 2 PM
Future projects and programs include the publishing the senior directory and a senior outreach program operated through law enforcement.
As a narrative on how you can form a group within your community, following is information on how McSAFE began and grew:
The organizing member, Astrid Maples, had worked for a very proactive Office on Aging in the East Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability region and was aware of East Tennessee ElderWatch and its County Affiliates and the benefit provided within their communities. When she moved and changed employers, her work included meeting with senior groups, agencies, and businesses. When inquiring about a similar effort, she was surprised and saddened to learn there was not an elder abuse Awareness / Prevention initiative in her new community.
In calls to senior facilities, agencies, and business, she began polling those directors and employees to see if there was a local concern and interest regarding preventing elder abuse. There was. After gaining the support and encouragement of her employer, Home Instead Senior Care, she continued to gather information from local law enforcement agencies and adult protective services. With input and assistance from East Tennessee ElderWatch and her employer’s full support - McSAFE was born.
It is our hope that McSAFE will be an inspiration for other counties and communities to recognize the great need to acknowledge elder abuse, recognize the urgent need to educate and inform local citizens about the issues, and then work together to make a positive difference.
All it takes is one person to begin the effort – it might be you!
mcsafe2009@hotmail.com