Paradise Valley Police Department’s elder assistance program was recently featured on a police podcast to be released later this year.

The You Are Not Alone Program was founded in Paradise Valley in 2017 when Patricia Wagner, a long-time police volunteer, had learned of this program and saw a need for something like that in the community.

Since then the program has saved two lives and consistently provided care and check-ins with elder residents.

“Many of the older residents have no one locally to turn to if they need help so anything I can do to help them is very much appreciated,” Ms. Wagner wrote in an email.

The service gives residents enrolled in the program daily automated phone calls to check if they need any kind of assistance. As a part of this service as well, Ms. Wagner personally calls them on Tuesdays as a way to bond with these elder community members.

“After getting to know the residents I feel like they are part of my own extended family as I know they feel the same about me,” Ms. Wagner wrote.

According to her, those in the program typically do not have family members close enough to call in case of an emergency. The service aims to help those who may have limited mobility like the elderly.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative recently chose the YANA program to be featured on The Beat, a police podcast that invites experts in the field to talk about their work.

“I have never done a podcast before so I was a little nervous but the interviewer and other people involved were wonderful and put me at ease,” Ms. Wagner wrote.

The episode Ms. Wagner was featured in will air late this year across multiple online platforms. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, they were not able to meet in person and recorded the podcast remotely, according to Steven McGhee, the community resources officer with the department.

Ms. Wagner works closely with Mr. McGhee, who supervises the program and was also featured on The Beat episode focused on YANA. They have both expressed how this work that they do to be an extremely valuable resource to their community.

“We hope in sharing this resource that it may inspire other municipalities to take actions that could save the life of someone in need,” Mr. McGhee wrote in an email. After being inspired by another community with a YANA type of program, they realized how a resource like that would genuinely be of assistance to their community.

Mr. McGhee explained that in relation to the size of the population in Paradise Valley, the total enrollment in YANA shows that their service is truly unique and fills a hole in the local services offered.

“We aim to raise awareness of the YANA program so those who may benefit have it available to them,” Mr.McGhee wrote.

Not only has it helped those directly impacted but they can “assure their families and friends of their welfare.” Long-distant relatives can be put at ease knowing that there is someone available to help their family members.

“The comfort of knowing someone will check in with their loved one daily is very well received by the community,” Mr. McGhee wrote.

Bringing some peace of mind to their residents and their families is something that really matters to the program according to Ms. Wagner. Having this kind of support from volunteers has helped to build a sense of community between them and those enrolled in the program.

“It is definitely worth the effort when you see how much difference you can make in another person’s life just by getting involved,” Ms. Wagner wrote.

Editor’s Note: Caroline Yu is a student-journalist at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism serving in a paid internship role at Independent Newsmedia.