Midsummer Issue 2023

More documents

Recommendations

Info

New Program Offers Peace of Mind for Families Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE Photos by Karen Fucito The badge offers a simple plea: “If I appear lost, please call.” The badge lists a telephone number and an identification number. Simple. But the simplicity more than likely masks a complex circumstance that could involve a child, an aging adult, or illness, disability or both. Quietly, the badge suggests concern and calls for immediate action. The badge is the brainchild of Paul Jetter of Fredon, who founded a nonprofit organization called Safely Back Home to create a way to help seniors with dementia or children with autism, for example, get back home if they have wandered away accidently or on purpose. Either case, Jetter said, could cause a confusing situation for the wanderer and potential helper, circumstances made worse, for example, if the person wearing the badge on their clothes is nonverbal, disoriented or language-limited. “One goal of the badge is to de-escalate the situation,” he said. Hopatcong Borough was the first Sussex County municipality to join Jetter’s Safely Back Home program in March. Hopatcong schools joined in May. The program is being funded through the borough, said Jetter, and will be available to other municipalities in the near future. Jetter said the idea was formulated when his father, then 85, showed signs of dementia. “It was a family response with my brother becoming primary caregiver. It was a full-time responsibility,” Jetter said. But his father wandered, as do six of 10 dementia patients, he said. The fear was that his father would not recognize where he was or be able to explain how to get back home. In 2010, after his father died, Jetter connected with Project Lifesaver, a national organization with links to law enforcement offices nationwide and other groups that aim to protect people who wander from safe environments, such as a home or health facility. Project Lifesaver offers GPS monitors and bracelets as a means of providing identification and location. Jetter said he wanted to add an ID method that could not be removed by the wearer, was easy to apply and was made of a material that would not irritate an autistic person for whom changes in texture can trigger negative responses. Jetter said he experimented with fabrics and adhesives for years. During the process to develop his idea, Jetter said he reached out to New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and developed interest from 70 police chiefs. Six towns in Bergen County joined the program in 2016, he said. Not yet a nonprofit and with no outside funding, Jetter said he incurred the cost of the badges himself, something he knew would be unsustainable. Within two years, these first programs were dormant, he said. But Jetter didn’t give up. In 2020, he secured nonprofit status for Safely Back Home, which led to a $3,000 grant from the Starbucks Foundation, courtesy of the employees from the Sparta Starbucks. The money helped kickstart the program again, which offers training for dispatchers and police officers who either receive an emergency call from a person who sees a badge or respond to a location where a person who has wandered was found. Hopatcong Borough Councilwoman Christine Smith found out about the program through a friend, said Jetter. She, Councilman Brad Hoferkamp and Mayor Michael Francis championed the program. Smith said the program hits home because her father had Alzheimer’s and wandered. The condition was made worse when he moved to New Jersey from New Hampshire and the landscape changed. She also has an adopted daughter who is nonverbal, which makes this program a critical addition to keeping her safe. “This is a tool for communication in a critical situation if needed,” Smith said. She was eager to have Jetter speak with the borough’s seniors, which he did at one of the group’s weekly meetings. The U.S. Census said that in 2022, 13.9 percent of Hopatcong’s 14,531 residents were 65 or older, or 1,941 persons. Enrollment forms are also available at the Hopatcong Wellness Center on Hopatchung Road and on the Safely Back Home website. Jetter said by June, a dozen Hopatcong families has signed up for the program. Tammy Miller, the director of student special services for Hopatcong schools, said six families enrolled in May. The families each brought in about 20 pieces of clothing so that the soft, cloth badges could be added. Families will need to bring in different clothing as the children age and grow, she said. Working out of his garage, Jetter uses a heat press to secure the badges to clothing and hats but said anyone can use a hot iron to get the same results. Miller said other programs use dog tags or other styles of identification, which can become lost, or among certain children, become bothersome. “The badge is a secure form of identification,” she said. “This is appropriate if they flee or get lost.” With a reduced ability to speak or socialize, Miller said, the student could become disoriented or agitated if lost, unable to tell a potential rescuer their name or other basic information. Sometimes such students act out or scream, she said. She agreed with Jetter that the badges can act as a tool to de-escalate what might be a tense or confusing situation. They can offer education to the general public. In mid-June, Jetter delivered back to the Hopatcong families their garments individually imprinted with the Safely Back Home badges. Joanna Tiritilli enrolled her 9-year-old daughter Lena in the Safely Back Home program as another level of protection. The badge augments information on Lena’s medical alert bracelet, she said. Lena is nonverbal and has epilepsy. She also loves swimming, her mother said. “We have to be super careful,” Tiritilli said. “It’s a challenge. She does not have a bit of fear.” Taking her out in public can be stressful, 20 LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS <strong>Midsummer</strong> <strong>2023</strong> Left to right: Paul Jetter presents his Safely Back Home program to seniors in Hopatcong. Xavier Subero with his mom, Ashley Labar.
Paul Jetter, center, poses with SMILE residents Andrew Hertel, Arthur Blanchard, Carl Strehl and Steven Milford. especially since Tiritilli has an 18-month-old. On a shopping trip, Tiritilli said, she has to be very observant that Lena does not wander. “I don’t want to overreact,” she said, “but taking her out can be terrifying.” Tiritilli said she gets comfort when she sees another parent with a child similar to Lena. “We give each other the look,” she said. “There is a connectiveness that says we’d do anything to protect them.” Ashley Labar couldn’t agree more. “I do everything I can to help him,” she said. Her 6-year-old son, Xavier Subero, is nonverbal and while not a flight risk from their home, public places can pose a problem. He is especially sensitive to certain sounds, which tend to make him want to flee. “If he gets away from me, he’s gone,” said Labar. The badges, she said, are reassuring and Xavier wears them without a fuss. Labar said other devices— especially electronics— were bothersome. At the end of June, Jetter returned about 50 items to the residents of SMILE of Hopatcong, a home for adults with Down syndrome, founded by Allan and Patricia Milford to support their own son, Steven. House director Susan Weiland said the ironon badges were placed on a variety of clothing so the residents could add layers if needed and still display the ID badge. Her residents are verbal, Weiland said, but situations can arise when they could be separated and, in uncertain places and circumstances, lose their composure. The clothing badge would offer another person the information needed to defuse a situation, she said. “We’re excited to be part of this program,” she said. The residents, who wear their badges proudly, couldn’t agree more. “It touches my heart,” said Andrew Hertel. Jetter said the badge is a “tool.” It offers information that could be used to lower the temperature of an uncertain situation and offers help to a person lost in their own mind, physically hampered, overwhelmed by the moment or even acting dangerously. Further, the badge can help a person willing to offer assistance or a first responder rushing to aid a person in apparent distress. The goal is to help wanderers find their way to a safe place, he said, or, as the name of the nonprofit says, to be Safely Back Home. For information, visit safelybackhome.org. (973) 288-1800 THE 4.9 STARS NJ'S PREMIER BARBER SHOP & SALON 181 HOWARD BLVD MT. ARLINGTON, NJ BOOK NOW! “A Personal Touch to Extraordinary Service Buying, Selling or Renting!” Award Winning Combination of Business Strategy, Creativity and Exceptional Service Call to arrange an appointment to visit lake homes by boat! Robin Dora 973.570.6633 Amanda Braico 973.349.7825 Brianne Lechner 908.246.8368 670 Main Road | Towaco, NJ 07082 | o. 973.335.5700 Scan Me to See Listings! Top Company Team 2022 Top Producer 2020, 2021 Top Associate Units & Volume 2021 Local Residents for Over 46 Years G O L D L E V E L Circle of Excellence Sales Award 2 0 2 2 To see active lake listings visit thedoragroup.com lakehopatcongnews.com 21
Page 1 and 2: INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING
Page 4 and 5: From the Editor While Marty Kane gi
Page 6 and 7: SUMMER CLEANING • MULTI SERVICE D
Page 8 and 9: Hundreds Take Part in a Salute to B
Page 10 and 11: THERE’S MORE FUN BELOW DECK SUMME
Page 12 and 13: Suit and Mai Tai Sets Sail with Fam
Page 14 and 15: KathySellsLakeHomes.com Top Produce
Page 16 and 17: THANK YOU! TO ALL 2023 LHYC FIREWOR
Page 18 and 19: Hopatcong Adds Revenue to Tax Book
Page 22 and 23: Residents Help Preserve Monarch B S
Page 24 and 25: Become a part of the lake’s histo
Page 26 and 27: Georgia PD Looking For a Few Good M
Page 28 and 29: Seniors of the Year Chosen in Hopat
Page 30 and 31: Hundreds Get Front Row Seats for An
Page 32 and 33: 2023 JERSEY WAKEOFF AUGUST 12, 2023
Page 34 and 35: 34 HISTORY During the first decades
Page 36 and 37: COOKING WITH SCRATCH © Tasting Hom
Page 38 and 39: WORDS OF A FEATHER Story and photos
Page 40 and 41: Lake Hopatcong... A fine food and f
Page 42 and 43: directory CONSTRUCTION/ EXCAVATION

Midsummer Issue 2023

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?