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Allegheny County residents encouraged to check on elderly neighbors
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The Allegheny County Department of Human Services Area Agency on Aging encourages residents to check on older adults who live alone to ensure their well-being and safety during this severe winter weather. This includes verifying that their homes are well heated and that they have enough food, water and medication to last for several days.
The Area Agency on Aging has been taking proactive measures to ensure the safety of high-risk older adults who are registered for care management with the agency. This includes repeated phone calls to frail and homebound individuals, especially those who live alone. Additionally, many home-delivered meal participants who are considered the most vulnerable have received a box of shelf-stable foods and emergency supplies.
“Not all of the older adults in Allegheny County are registered with the Area Agency on Aging,” cautions AAA Administrator Mildred Morrison. “For that reason, we’re calling on the community to help to ensure that all seniors are kept safe during this particularly difficult weather. We are asking anyone who knows of an older person living alone, particularly someone who is frail, to please take the time to visit him or her.
“If the house feels cold, make sure the furnace is working. Be alert to dangerous methods of heating a room, such as open flames or ovens. Also, make sure there is food and water in the house. And please, make repeated visits to make sure everything is alright.”
Teenagers who are home from school on a snow day are encouraged to volunteer to shovel a driveway, walk a dog, or run an errand to help an older person during this severe weather event.
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