CLEARLAKE — Judy Thein and Curt Giambruno, who currently serve on the Clearlake City Council, are pooling resources to organize Senior Safety Awareness programs to be presented throughout the community. Thein and Giambruno have enlisted the assistance of Clearlake Police Chief Allan McClain, who will be leading the presentations.
“We went down and bounced it off the chief and he said ?absolutely! That”s a great idea,”” Giambruno said. “Deep down, I think that some people in town have ignored our seniors. You should see them light up when you go visit them. I think they are just tickled pink when they see that somebody cares about them.”
Thein has maintained a focus on services for seniors throughout her political career, which has led to the development of the program to bring Senior Safety Awareness to senior living complexes and facilities.
“First of all this program will help make seniors feel like they are more a part of the community,” Thein said. “No one has ever extended this kind of opportunity to our seniors and this will help them help themselves when it comes to their personal safety.”
Thein and Giambruno both said the response they received from the senior community has reassured them that this is what the seniors want.
“All the seniors we”ve talked to are excited and appreciate what we are doing for them,” Thein said. “Sometimes seniors are easily frightened when they live by themselves. This program will give them more sense of security, which in turn can give them the confidence to continue to be independent.”
Chief McClain reported that the presentations will be tailored to address concerns expressed by those in attendance. The presentations will focus on areas such as personal safety, identification of suspicious circumstances/persons, home safety, surrounding awareness, prevention, identity theft, mail fraud and course of action.
“Usually just talking about safety makes people more aware. It makes them more vigilant so they don”t become a victim and they start watching out for people around them, too,” Chief McClain said.
Presentations will be presented as follows:
10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29: Olympic Villa Apartments.
11:45 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29: Orchard Park Retirement and Assisted Living Facility, 14789 Burns Valley Road. Members of the public are welcome and refreshments will be served.
10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30: Highlands Village Apartments.
10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2: Walnut Grove Apartments.
11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2: Highlands Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Avenue. Members of the public are welcome.
1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2: Autumn Village and Austin Manor apartments.
Thein, who was instrumental in obtaining the Burns Valley Walkway near the senior living community, said that she plans to continue to prioritize the needs of area seniors.
“Seniors need to be valued, supported and appreciated,” Thein said. “They are a vital part of our community and I will continue to address their concerns to ensure our seniors have the quality of life that they deserve.”
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
