Help for Hermosa Beach senior citizens
The small 1.4 square mile beach community of Hermosa Beach has seen an increase in the number of non-responsive senior citizens in need of emergency care, neighborhood watch co-founder Tracy Hopkins reported last week in her weekly newsletter.
“Just this morning one neighbor saw a senior gentleman fall while he was walking,” she wrote. “… Another neighbor had called 9-1-1 when they saw him fall. We got him a chair to sit in and asked where he lived, but we were unable to understand him.”
According to Hopkins, neighbors thought he lived down the block. Police attempted to determine who he was, but he didn’t have an ID. A family member was eventually contacted and he was walked back home.
Hopkins also wrote about another incident when an older woman had a medical issue in a public setting and had to be hospitalized. Family members were contacted via her cell phone. According to Hopkins, seniors should carry an ID with emergency contact information on them and in their phone for those types of situations. She suggested adding in numbers labeled ICE, short for ‘In Case of Emergency’, stored in their cell phones.
“Programming emergency contact information into your cell phone under the listing “ICE” and carrying ID with emergency contact information in a wallet or purse can assist first responders in contacting family and friends in the event you’re involved in an emergency,” Hopkins wrote.
She also suggested generating a medical emergency ID wallet card online. The Hermosa Beach Police Department also has programs to aid seniors who live alone. The “You are Not Alone Program” (YANA) allows family members to get help from the HBPD to check on their older family members who live alone in the area. Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease can also provide the HBPD with their personal information and contact information for emergency situations. Contact Sergeant Brian Smyth at 310-318-0360 or email bsmyth@hermosapolice.org for additional information.
Related: Hermosa Beach to start programs for seniors and vacationers