| In Durham county nearly one in five residents are over 60 years of age. This is expected to climb steadily over the next several years. There are some 21,000 residents 65 years of age or older living within Durham County. A large number of these senior citizens live in complexes for senior citizens or nursing homes. Many of these residents, as well as, seniors living in private homes alone are being victimized at an alarming rate. These seniors are concerned about safety issues as well as being victims of fraud.>
Statistics show that approximately one (1) in five (5) elderly citizens are victims of crime ranging from breaking and entering, to assault, to fraud and elderly abuse by family members with identity theft growing at an alarming rate. This computes to about 5,000 elderly citizens are victims of crime each year. In North Carolina the elderly accounted for 6% of the murder victims and 1.6% of the rape victims. Statistics are not kept on the elderly abuse, fraud and larcenies in nursing homes and senior citizen living centers.>
The TRIAD program is dedicated to serving the elderly population in both investigating crimes, as well as, providing services aimed at prevention of crimes.
The objectives of the program are to:
- Educate by sponsoring crime prevention and victim/witness programs;
- Assist by recruiting and training volunteers to assist the Sheriff's Office;
- Emphasize by staff reassurance programs for older persons to reduce the fear and provide moral support;
- Communicate by proving a forum for law enforcement and the community to share needs and concerns and to develop solutions;
- Involve by uniting seniors and sheriffs;
- Identify problem areas for seniors in the local community to develop and implement community wide solutions.
|
