Wake County Sheriff Ending Senior Well-Check Program

Wake County, N.C., Sheriff Gerald Baker has announced the termination of the county's 16-year-old senior well-check program, a move that does not sit well with many older residents, reports CBS17 . The program was initiated by previous Sheriff Donnie Harrison to check on older adults who live alone and have no family in close proximity via daily calls. According to Baker, "ending the program was the same thing as trying to make it better and to be able to serve Wake County instead of 100-something seniors. There are approximately 91,000 older adults in Wake County. And there were a lot of people who wanted to be a part of that program, but there just wasn't room for it." As for potential services to replace the program, Baker said, "there are some resources that are available and we'll be getting information out to the people who are accustomed to getting that call every day. A group of volunteers who focuses on targeting and helping seniors, they'll be more than happy to help, they've indicated that they'll make those types of calls, they're looking for something to do." Local seniors say this expectation is unrealistic, with resident Robin Ingram arguing, "You can't expect volunteers to do that. Who volunteers to call 100 people 365 days a year?"