The kitchen belonging to Carol of New Sharon, which she showed to a Franklin Journal reporter on Thursday, Dec. 29. Farmington Sheriff’s Office’s Elder Check program gives Carol a sense of security and allows her to continue woodworking. Brian Ponce/Franklin Journal
NEW SHARON — In 1989, LifeCall, a company that provided medical alarm systems to elderly or disabled citizens, coined a catchphrase that became a part of popular culture.
“Help, I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.”
This catchphrase would be featured in numerous TV shows and movies that make light of it’s intent and has since dissipated from pop culture with the passage of time. What has not gone away is that very real fear that many elderly citizens in the state of Maine must live with, but the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office [FCSO] is doing something to help with that fear.
In 2014, FCSO started a program called the Elder Check program. The program is separate from a traditional welfare check, in that those who enroll in the program will receive regular visits from Sheriff’s deputies or even Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. himself.
“What we like to do is reach out to our folks who are over 70 and living alone, and generally have no family nearby to check on them on a regular basis, other than probably phone calls,” Nichols said in a phone interview. “And it’s especially important this time of year when the weather’s falling on everything. So, we want to make sure that they’re taken care of.
“And we generally just stop in and just speak with them for 10 to 15 minutes, ask them how their day is going. And while we’re there, we’re also just kind of looking around and making sure they’re living in comfortable conditions, or if we identify some sort of need, we try to reach out and meet that need through other sources available in the county,” he added.
The program currently has 13 senior citizens enrolled, with one being a resident in New Sharon who simply wishes to be referred to as Carol.
Carol describes herself as a young 82-year-old, and she certainly lives up to that assessment. Despite living alone, she stays active in her workshop and always has a project up her sleeve. She appreciates the drop ins from Sheriff’s deputies, as they bring with them a sense of security as well as much needed conversation.
“Some of them are taller than you are that come in here. I gotta make sure my [ceiling] fan is off. We’ve all got to be good conversational people, and that’s what I’d like,” she said.
Carol shared that some deputies would stay for a couple minutes and others for a little longer, especially if she is baking.
“[The deputy] came in one time, around Christmas time, and I was making pies. I’d already made a pumpkin pie and I was finishing up the apple pie.
“He sat down to table, and I said, ‘Would you like a piece of pie?’ Yes. So, I said, ‘What would you like to drink? Milk?’ So, I gave him that and pretty soon he’s sitting there with a fork and a knife. I turn around and say, ‘Would you like more?’ And he says yes. So, I took the whole pie plate, and I said you cut whatever you want. He reminds me of my grandson.”
Carol retired in 2006, but made a career working with shoes, aluminum products and even making board game pieces.
“I did a lot of bending and riveting and the whole nine yards,” she said. “I did table saw, I did multi drilling and I was a cutter. Yeah, stuff that people didn’t want to do.”
Since retirement, Carol has kept herself busy working on her trailer by installing new vinyl siding and woodworking in her shop. Apart from food stamps and knee replacement surgery, Carol is very capable of taking care of herself, but still enjoys the visits from FCSD.
The workshop, seen on Thursday, Dec. 29, where Carol of New Sharon works on her woodworking projects. Thanks to the Elder Check program, Carol is able to keep doing what she loves without worry. Brian Ponce/Franklin Journal
According to the 2020 estimates conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Maine has the highest population of elderly citizens, with 21.8% of the state’s population over the age of 65.
Furthermore, The Center of Disease Control and Prevention conducted a survey that found that falling, which is the leading cause of injury-related deaths for citizens in that same age group, had risen by more than 30% from 2009 to 2018.
The terrifying and grim example of this fear was brought to life in 2016, when the Press Herald reported that a woman in Wells by the name Lucie McNulty was found in her home, deceased. What makes the story more tragic was that her death went undiscovered for more than 2 years.
Multiple welfare checks and pressure from neighbors proved fruitless and it wasn’t until police learned that she hadn’t paid her property taxes in at least two years, all her mail had been returned to their senders and the phone had been disconnected that they finally investigated, and a body was found.
“A typical welfare check is just someone calling and saying, ‘Hey, I haven’t heard from so and so for a while, would you go check on and make sure they’re okay.’ That is usually just individualized one offs that occur, and they occur quite frequently,” Nichols stated.
“This is a more systematic type of check on special individuals. Years ago, I remember there was a situation in one of our townships where I think our guys stopped potential elder abuse going on. Not necessarily physical, but a young person taking advantage of the older person and using their resources that were very limited to begin with. That’s one of the things we’re looking for as well,” he added.
Whether it be abuse, loss of life or just a simple conversation, FCSO’s aim with the program is to ensure the safety and security of all involved, and that is no laughing matter.
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