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Joint program will improve home security 
for seniors in Quincy, IL area


Thanks to Triad and the West Central Area Agency on Aging, 200 area residents will be getting free door viewers and home security inspections.

The Area Agency on Aging received 200 door viewers, better known as peep holes, to give to residents age 60 or over. With the cooperation of Triad, anyone who wants the peep hole will also get a free security check.

Loretta Lewis, Triad coordinator, will conduct the inspections. Triad helps senior citizens minimize or reduce their chances of becoming a crime victim. Lewis said at least five people will have the peep holes installed and a security check done on their homes this week.

"Triad tries to come up with innovative ideas to keep seniors safe in their homes," Lewis said. "We thought we could kill two birds with one stone by having the door peep holes installed and also do a security check."

Lynn Niewohner of the Area Agency on Aging ordered the door viewers from Galesburg-based National Association For Exchange of Industrial Resources. Companies with overruns or unsold items donate them to the association, which in turn offers them to non-profit groups.

"We can’t sell it. We have to use it and give it all away," Niewohner said. "We saw the peep holes in the catalog and thought it would be a good item to have."

The door viewers will be installed by RSVP volunteers.

Lewis says getting a security inspection may be more valuable than people realize.

"We go by an inspection checklist," she said. "For instance, we’ll make sure the front door entrance, if it’s wood or metal, has a strong enough frame. We want it tight enough so it can’t be forced, and have the door hinges so they can’t be removed."

Lewis will check windows and locks on doors. She’ll look at garage doors and any place a potential burglar could gain access.

She can also make recommendations on things like cutting down shrubs that lead to windows, and installing security grills or screens, motion detectors and lighting around the residence.

"If they say they can’t afford it, then Triad will try to get locks for the windows," Lewis said. "Anything Triad does, it will be free."
Since the Area Agency on Aging and Triad cover six counties, Lewis and Niewohner expect a big response to the program.

Triad started in 1998 when the American Association of Retired Persons, the International Associations of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriff’s Association signed a cooperative agreement to encourage the growth of local Triads and to sponsor annual meetings to provide information and support to local leadership.

The West Central Illinois Triad includes the Quincy Police Department, the Adams County Sheriff’s Department and the AARP. Some of the programs it has offered have been the Senior Police Academy, Beat Auto Theft, Elder Watch, Senior Holiday Light Tour and Cellular Life Line.

The Quincy Police Department and the West Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging formed a partnership in March 2001. QPD dedicated a full-time officer, Lewis, to work closely on senior issues.