Checking on an elderly person is the most common type of welfare check. In fact, elderly people with declining health conditions are especially prone to injury, falls, or sudden unconsciousness. So, if you cannot reach an elderly person you’re concerned about, a welfare check could be in order.
A welfare check is a great idea if you have visited the elderly person’s house and knocked on the door but received no response—especially if the person lives alone and has a history of illness or a bad health condition. If that’s the case, you can request a welfare check.
Since you cannot do a welfare check yourself, you should instead involve law enforcement officers to check on the person. Before calling a law enforcement officer, you have to ensure that an elderly person you’re concerned about is in a dangerous situation.
Here’s step-by-step to request a welfare check on an elderly person!
Step1: Call the Law Enforcement Officer
To request a welfare check, you should get in contact with local police officers.
- If you believe that there is a life-threatening emergency, you can call 911.
- If no life-threatening situation occurs, you can call the non-emergency number of your local law enforcement officer. You can get the non-emergency number by visiting your local police department’s website.
Depending on the situation, you need to use discretion to determine which number you should call.
Step 2: Explain Why You’re Worried About the Person
Before the local police officers arrive, you need to tell them why you think the person is in danger. Make sure to allow them to know as much information as possible about the elderly person, such as the person’s full name, exact location, age, and any important information.
If you also know the person’s condition, you can also tell them the person’s medical history or mental health issues. However, the information is very important for the law enforcement officers to pinpoint where they have to go for checking the person.
Step 3: Accompany Police to Check the Person If Asked
When the police officers come to the location, you can also accompany them to the person’s house if asked. You need to know that no court order will be required for police to conduct a welfare check. The police officers can legally enter the house of the person concerned, as long as they have reasonable grounds to believe that the occupant of the house is in danger.
Step 4: Wait for An Update
If the police officers have followed up the case, you will not have to phone them to know the further condition. You can instead wait to hear back from the police officer with an update for their finding as soon as possible. However, the police officers will focus on the most emergency conditions on the person concerned. They may be prior to calling for medical assistance before they call you back.
Okay, these are the steps you need to follow to make a request for a welfare check for an elderly person.
It’s important to note that you don’t feel guilty when you request a welfare check if there is a suspicion that someone is in danger. However, welfare checks are the police officers’ routine duty, and it is common for them to conduct multiple of these types of calls every day.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
