TRIAD enters its 11th year

Members of Douglas County TRIAD signed a proclamation Wednesday to proclaim the group's dedication to the senior citizens in the county for the 11th year.

TRIAD brings programs and events involving law enforcement, safety and sometimes just plain fun to the seniors of Douglas County. Other TRIAD groups exist nationally, and each one contains representatives of seniors, from fire departments and sheriff's or police departments.

"TRIAD was formed by law enforcement - police chiefs and sheriffs - to support the needs of seniors," said Young at Heart president and TRIAD member Paul Lockwood. "We mainly emphasize things associated with law enforcement and seniors, but we do other things too."

The proclamation was signed by senior services supervisor Warren Bottino, TRIAD president Samantha Heers, East Fork Fire & Paramedic Districts Deputy Chief Bobby Wartgow and TRIAD's newest member and coordinator Douglas County Sheriff's Office Deputy Sheriff Teresa Duffy.

Other TRIAD members present, of the 13 who belong, were the group's chaplain Leo Kruger and Betty Miller, who heads an Alzheimer's support group at the senior center.

Duffy took Sheriff Ron Pierini's place in signing the document this year for the first time, since he had to be somewhere else. She was appointed to the TRIAD position by Pierini. She said she worked for the sheriff's office years ago, but left when she gave birth to her son. She took a job with the state Attorney General's office, where she dealt with senior issues. She was very happy when Pierini not only accepted her back into the sheriff's office, but, because of her experience with seniors, chose her to be TRIAD's new coordinator.

"I feel very, very fortunate," she said.

Heers listed some of the activities that TRIAD sponsors to about 200 seniors who were attending the Valentine's Day and February birthdays lunch at Douglas County Senior Center.

Besides printing magnetic "File of Life" cards to keep important medical information on the refrigerator and ID cards to keep in their wallets, TRIAD also prints the yearly Douglas County Senior Directory, holds an annual Senior Law Enforcement Academy, serves a Christmas dinner with a speaker whose topic is senior-related and, as part of their Senior for a Day program, takes four seniors to lunch at the Country Club Restaurant in Gardnerville.

They also sponsor the Sunshine Program, which sends birthday cards to Meals on Wheels recipients and run the Guardian System Program, a computerized telephone system designed to stay in touch with subscribers on a daily basis, the Home Again Program, a system which identifies dementia patients who are lost, and the Evacuation Disaster Program, which provides immediate assistance in the event an evacuation request is issued.

The Senior for a Day forms are now available at the senior center, 2300 Meadow Lane, Gardnerville. Four winners, two men and two women, will be randomly picked from the nominations. All seniors 65 and older are eligible. Winners receive lunch, a gift basket, free haircut or styling and transportation is provided. For more information, call the senior center at 783-6455. Forms must be received by March 23 for this April 26 event.

The Senior Law Enforcement Academy is coming up in March. The free 12-14 week program teaches seniors about every facet of public safety, from the sheriff's office, to the fire department, paramedics and investigations. Plus, they are given tips on how to avoid fraud and how to stay safe. Each week they attend a different class at the sheriff's office.

To sign up for the next academy call 782-9900, or for information on TRIAD services, call 782-9858, or go into the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, 1625 Eighth St., Minden.

-- Jo Rafferty can be reached at jrafferty@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 210.