You Are Not Alone Helps Carlsbad Seniors Feel Safe

The City of Carlsbad Senior Volunteer Patrol performs many duties for the Police Department, and one of the most satisfying is providing older residents a feeling of safety and security by checking on them regularly.

The program, called You Are Not Alone (YANA), serves seniors who request someone to check on them to make sure they’re OK. The Senior Volunteer Patrol calls or visits YANA clients, enhancing their sense of security and helping them live independently. The program is free.

“This is one of the most important programs the senior volunteers have,” said Glenn Peterson, a Senior Volunteer Patrol member who coordinates the program. “We check up on seniors 55 and older who have contracted with the program. It gives them a little added security.”

He said volunteers currently serve 27 YANA clients who range in age from 70 to 94, with an average age of 86.  He noted that YANA has served 140 seniors since it began in the 1990s.

The way the program works is that senior volunteers check on YANA clients every day but Sunday. On Monday Senior Patrol Volunteer members visit the clients at their homes. This provides a personal touch and gives the volunteer an opportunity to see the participant and make sure everything is OK.

On Tuesday through Saturday volunteers phone the clients at prearranged times. They keep logs of each contact attempt to make sure that they reach their clients every day.

YANA clients inform the Senior Volunteer Patrol if they won't available for visits or calls, because if they don’t answer the volunteers will persist until they make contact.

If the volunteers continue to get no response, they go to the client's house to check on the senior’s welfare.

If they visit the client’s house and still can’t establish that their YANA client is OK, they call the police, and a City of Carlsbad police officer will go to the house and provide necessary assistance.

Peterson said there have been occasions when volunteers have found a client who was in distress and called emergency services for medical help, but those instances have been rare.

Not only is this a great community service, but the senior volunteers also form close relationships with their YANA clients, and every December the volunteers assemble holiday baskets and deliver them to their clients’ homes. “That’s always a special time,” Peterson said.

 “This is a rewarding and vital program initiated and managed by a group of skilled volunteers, and directly affecting the quality of life for some very treasured residents,” said City of Carlsbad Police Corporal Rick Galanos, the Senior Volunteer Patrol coordinator. “It is a win-win for all those involved and we are fortunate to have an ever-growing group of service-oriented, caring volunteers.”

To register as a YANA client, a senior completes a short request form, participates in an interview with the YANA coordinator, provides an emergency contact person, and understands the need to respond to phone calls and weekly home visits.

For more information

Call the City of Carlsbad Police Department’s Senior Volunteer Patrol, 760-931-2214

Police media contact

Jodee Sasway, 760-931-2105, or jodee.sasway@carlsbadca.gov

City media contact

Kristina Ray, 760-434-2957, kristina.ray@carlsbadca.gov