Four tons? I thought it was a misprint. Nearly 4 tons, that’s 7,820 pounds of unused, unwanted and outdated prescription pills that Maine residents dropped off in bins in parking lots throughout the state last week. Four tons! Can you even begin to visualize how many pills that involves?

If last week’s National Take-Back Day didn’t convince officials of the desperate need people have to rid themselves of prescription drug medication, then surely nothing will.

As a state we really outdid New Hampshire, where authorities collected only 2,479 pounds, and Vermont, where 1,127 pounds of pills were deposited. Connecticut collected 5,050 pounds and Rhode Island only 784 pounds. The only state in New England to dispose of more pills last Saturday than Maine was Massachusetts. There they collected 8,550 pounds, a measly 730 pounds more than Maine. Maine’s population is 1.3 million and Massachusetts’ is 6.5 million. In Virginia officials collected 5,000 pounds, and 4,000 pounds in Minnesota.

We clearly had a whole lot of extra medication hanging around in our medicine cabinets. Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, U.S Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced just four days after National Take-Back Day that their legislation to allow the safe disposal of medications had passed Congress and was on its way to the president to be signed into law. The Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act will allow states and private agencies to institute responsible drug take-back programs. Federal law now prohibits such programs.

For a brief time the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency was administering a mail-back program, providing residents free, pre-addressed envelopes to mail their unwanted prescription medication to the MDEA office. Funding dried up, however, and the program was phased out. Maine is one of 17 states where deaths by drug overdose outnumber deaths by motor vehicle accidents. Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country. Around the country surveys show that three out of five teenagers say it is easy to steal prescription medications from their parents.

People, even in the most rural parts of our state, are scared their homes may be invaded by drug seekers. Home invasions were almost nonexistent just 10 years ago. Today they are not uncommon.

People are warned not to flush extra medications down the toilet, for they contaminate the groundwater. They are told not to throw them out because they end up in landfills and eventually leach into the soil. They are not allowed to take them to their local police department, and the local pharmacy won’t take them either. Until now, neither the state nor the federal government has provided a safe solution to the problem. Passage of the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act is a good first step, but there is no money attached. The preferred method of disposing of prescription medication is through incineration. If local governments are going to be responsible for collecting unused medication, then local governments most likely will be responsible for their storage and their incineration costs. Most police departments have secure evidence rooms where the drugs could be stored. There are ways to offset incineration fees. Drug forfeiture money could be used to offset the costs to communities. In one Texas community the police department built its own incinerator to dispose of the drugs, and in yet another, a local pet crematorium provides the service free of charge.

Four tons of pills in Maine in one day. Houston, I think we have a problem.

The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) had its 5th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

This day is held in support of the United Nations International Plan of Action which recognizes the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue. Many organizations ranging from religious groups and government organizations to professionals in the field of aging, interested individuals as well as older persons themselves will promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by organizing activities around the world to raise awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.

Elder Abuse Awareness Day was celebrated at “The Mall at Prince George’s” in Hyattsville, Maryland and at the “Iverson Mall” in Temple Hills, Maryland. There were numerous information booths manned by the Prince Georges County Office of the Sheriff Triad Officers, Prince George’s County Police Department, State’s Attorney Office, Maryland Crime Victim’s Resource Center, Inc., The Office of 911, Prince George’s County Health Department, Register of Wills, Prince George’s County Fire Department /EMS, and the Department of Social Services etc. They were assisted by their Explorers who ran the “BINGO” games for the participating seniors. Seniors were informed about neglect, Abuse, Financial Crimes, Scams, Identity Theft and what to look for in everyday situations. They were given health screenings, door prizes and some even had their finger prints done at this event.

Everyone had a wonderful time and they are looking forward to another great event next year.  A special thanks goes out to Lorna Jones and Cindy Buie-Brown for their hard work and dedication to Prince Georges County TRIAD.

Monday, May 17, 2010 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. held at the WCCCD – Northwest Campus  -  LSB L-17    8200 W. Outer Drive in Detroit, MI

The purpose of this event is to inform the audience of the many different ways the Sheriff’s office is working to keep the community safe. Topics and information will include: Safety tips, Gang Awareness, Emergency Senior Cell Phones, File of Life, Tether Unit, Internet Security, Narcotics Hotline, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office new website, Dose of Reality Tour, and Deputy Reserves.

 Participants attending this event will:

• Become knowledgeable about what the Sheriff’s office is doing in terms of gang awareness in the community
• Learn safety tips to protect themselves and family
• Receive a report on the other services offered to the community such as internet safety, emergency senior cell phones, etc.

THIS IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT NO COST! Light refreshments will be served. Come out and say hello to Sheriff Benny Napoleon and his staff.

For more information, please contact the School of Continuing Education at 313-496-2704 or the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office at 313-224-0614

“Early this year, my mother went to the curb to collect the empty trash bin.  As she wheeled it behind her home, she slipped on the ice and broke her hip.  She lives alone and was in the back of her property.  Fortunately, she’d had the foresight to grab her cell phone before she went outside.  Because she was unable to stand up she could have frozen to death.  She called 911 and within minutes an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital.  Mom had surgery to repair the hip and is recovering, but it was a close call.  This is a reminder to your readers that if they live alone to make sure to have a cell phone available at all times”.

This advice is perfect for all people – you never know when, where, how, or why you may need to make an emergency phone call.  If you don’t have a cell phone for this purpose, please contact your local law enforcement agency or senior citizens group to see if they have them available.  The 911 Cell Phone Bank exists for this very purpose – to provide such communications to those who are in need.  If none exist in your local area, contact the 911 Cell Phone Bank at www.911cellphonebank.org and find out how you can begin a collection / distribution center in your area.

Officer Caughlin attended the Crime Stoppers Convention that was held January 13 – 15, 2010 at the Imperial Palace Casino in Biloxi, MS. During the convention he was able to share information about the 911 Cell Phone Bank with the Sheriffs from multiple counties, Police Departments, and even some of the U.S. Marshalls. This event was open for the State, County and Federal levels only. He really got the word out there and it was well received. We really want to thank him for his tireless efforts he has demonstrated with our program. This is just some of the things he has done that I wanted to share with you to help you out with your collection efforts. It only takes making a first step. Thank you again Officer Caughlin and a big thank you to the entire community of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

During one of their home deliveries for Meals on Wheels it was brought to Deputy Cannon’s attention that the person she was visiting/delivering a meal to was clutching onto her home “land-line” phone. After a brief conversation with this client, Deputy Cannon learned that the phone was her link to safety and was her security. This particular client and many others throughout the county/state are using Life Line. This is a great program and a huge number of seniors/elderly citizens are utilizing this program all across the United States. By all means, please inform your clients and anybody you know who uses Life Line, that in the event they are without electricity, this will not be of any value to them if they are depending on a cordless phone. You must have power in order for your “cordless phone” to work. There are numerous people that are not aware of this and are relying solely on “Life Line”.

After this incident, Deputies Cannon and Ridgeway asked the Meals on Wheels drivers if they would carry around a sign-up sheet with them . During their deliveries the driver will simply ask the clients if they are in need of an emergency 911 phone and if so, they are given one at no cost and it is delivered with their meal…Safety a la Carte’…what a treat!

 If your organization is in need of a boost, consider getting your message out in a similar fashion.  All local media have a social mandate for such communications.