How to Bring an Awareness of Seniors' Safety Issues to the Community

Senior citizens are a vulnerable group in society. They are sometimes the targets of vicious robberies, malicious financial schemes and abuse from caregivers. Senior citizens are also at times the victims of unintentional neglect from municipal authorities. From armed robberies to broken wheelchair ramps, the concerns of senior citizens run the gamut of important issues. Be the voice for an often forgotten community. Bring senior citizen safety concerns to the forefront of your community by collecting relevant data, contacting affected individuals and organizing a community meeting.

Things You'll Need

• Telephone
• Paper

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Instructions

• 1

  Gather information. Collect facts, statistics and stories from relevant people. Arm yourself with all the necessary information before you bring awareness to the larger community. Contact the local police department for detailed information on crimes against senior citizen if one of the senior safety issues is crime. Find local victim groups and contact senior citizens who are willing to talk about their experiences.

  Consider, too, the issue of street-crossing signs changing faster than senior citizens can walk across the street. Contact the police department for accident data and the transportation department for information on how to change the signal times. Make sure, too, that you talk to senior citizens.

  Collect quantitative facts as well as qualitative information.

• 2

  Draft a one-page list of concerns. Condense the information collected into a one-page list of specific concerns and facts. Include statistics and quotes that accurately depict the breadth and scope of the situation.

• 3

  Contact allies. Inform your allies of your intention to hold a public meeting. Email the list of concerns to all of the local politicians as well as the appropriate business owners, nonprofit organizations and activists. Remember, too, that senior citizens tend to vote in higher percentages than other demographic groups and, therefore, have the ears of elected officials. Follow up with phone calls and in-person visits where appropriate.

• 4

  Secure a venue for a community meeting. Contact local venues to inquire about hosting a community meeting. Contact government buildings, nonprofit properties and for-profit entities. Select a venue that is wheelchair accessible. Select a time and date that is convenient for the senior citizen population as well as the people you are trying to engage.

• 5

  Advertise the community meeting. Print a two-sided flier with the list of concerns on one side and meeting details on the other side. Post the fliers on community bulletin boards. Place the fliers in mailboxes and deliver them to local businesses. Send an email blast and include all of the information in the flier.

• 6

  Conduct the community meeting. Secure speakers for the meeting. Include local officials as well as senior citizens. Hand out the flier of information to audience members and speakers. Allow for comments from the audience. Provide a sign-in sheet to collect information for follow-up actions.