The Porter County Triads hosted an expo on Tuesday at the Porter County Sheriff’s Department which brought together seniors from around the community to meet with a number of organizations that offer services geared toward their well being and prosperity.
To see more photos from the event, click here!
Speaking at the morning expo were Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds, and from the Porter County Museum, Kevin Pazour.
The Triads, an organization centered around the partnership between seniors, law enforcement, and the community, seek to provide worthwhile information and services to the most experienced and valued segment of our community, seniors. By linking together our elder population with senior health care providers, social service organizations, clergy, and state and local agencies, the Triads are creating a sense of belonging and enriching the lives of seniors throughout the area.
Cathy Ellis, an organizer with Porter County Triads and Marketing Director at Life Care Centers of Valparaiso, coordinated the event and spoke about the Triads’ mission and partnerships.
“We’re an advocacy group which brings together the business community, healthcare providers, and law enforcement to ensure the health and safety of our senior citizens.” Ellis said. “So often they don’t know what kind of help is available to them, so these events where we bring fifteen or so local vendors in one place, are incredibly helpful. We want to educate our seniors and make sure they’re connected to all the resources available to them.”
FirstLight HomeCare’s Danielle Webb, a Community Care Coordinator, was there to talk with seniors about the invaluable services they provide.
“We offer personal, in-home care and companionship to those who might need a little help,” she said. "Whether it’s jobs around the house, personal care and assistance, or just conversation and company, FirstLight can be there to help anywhere from one hour to twenty four hours a day. When it comes down to it, seniors get lonely, and we want to be there for them, become close, and really get to know them,” Webb said.
Speaking at, and hosting the event was Porter County Sheriff, David Reynolds.
“Porter County is a great community,” he said. “And these events work to make it even better. Part of what we do is to educate so seniors feel more secure as well as to promote their quality of life. There are a lot of social agencies that do a lot of good in the region and everyone needs to know what services are around.”
As well as linking seniors to available resources, Sheriff Reynolds’ job is to help eliminate crime and make seniors feel safer in the community.
“There’s a lot of phone and internet scams out there, and many that prey on the elderly,” said Reynolds. “Criminals use more and more elaborate methods to exploit seniors, and our purpose is to reduce crime and the fear of crime and victimization. We’ve been working much closer with other local law enforcement agencies in the region to clamp down on this and the ever-growing substance abuse problem we have in Northwest Indiana. Drugs motivate crime and substance abuse impacts everyone, and we’re working hard across our Departments to stop the flow of drugs into Porter County.”
Also speaking was Kevin Pazour from the Porter County Museum. This year, the Museum is celebrating its 40th year at its current location, and its 99th year in operation. The Museum will be working to install climate control because, as Pazour put it, “people and artifacts don’t respond well to a non-air conditioned building in the summer.”
“Some really great changes have taken place over the last few years,” Pazour said. “We’ve been glad to bring in new exhibits and share them with the community. There are incredible personal stories here in Northwest Indiana and we’re working hard to make sure we record as many of these stories as possible to be shared with the generations to come.”
You can become a member, donate, or get involved with Porter County Triad at www.Portertriad.com.
Check out the Porter County Museum at pocomuse.org.