Editorial / Are You OK? Not if you're not signed up

Top-rated schools? Check.

Miles of sandy beaches? Check.

Vibrant downtown? Check.

Fairfield has a lot to offer. And if you're a senior citizen or disabled, the police will even call every day and ask, "Are you OK?"

Seriously ... about that last one? It's true.

As Connecticut and America grown older, Fairfield public safety officials are way out in front of the curve in making sure our most vulnerable residents are safe -- or get help quickly if they're not.

The Police Department offers a service that until earlier this week was not widely known. People who register for it get a computer-generated telephone call each day at a predetermined time. If they don't answer, a second call is made. And if they don't answer that one, the computer alerts the town's emergency communications center and an officer is dispatched to check on the subscriber.

The service, simply enough, is called "Are You OK?"

Who knew?

Not nearly enough of us, apparently.

Police and fire officials this week made a push to publicize the service after an older woman who was alone in her home fell and was unable to get up. She spent the night on the floor but had managed to slide a note under her front door and out onto her door step, authorities said. The note was found the next day by a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, who quickly summoned help.

But what if the fallen woman had not been able to slide a note out her door? What if she had no mail for several days or longer? What if the note had blown away?

Those are deadly serious questions each of us must take a moment to think about.

Are we now -- or could we be -- vulnerable? Could someone we care about be vulnerable? If they were injured or suddenly taken ill, could they be alone indefinitely and unable to get help?

The town has offered "Are You OK?" service since 1998. It was initially popular, but now -- nearly 15 years later -- there are only a few subscribers, police said.

As a society, we are quickly growing older. And that means there will be increasing numbers of vulnerable people in our neighborhoods.

The oldest Baby Boomers turned 65 in 2011, and the rest of that generation will be crowding onto the Social Security rolls over the next 18 years. And despite huge advances in health care, they will grow increasingly vulnerable.

In 1950, just 8.1 percent of the U.S. population was 65 or older.

In Connecticut in 2010, it was 14.4 percent.

It's projected to be 21.5 percent in Connecticut by 2030. That is a higher percentage than Florida's current 65-and-over population, according to the federal Agency on Aging.

Many older Americans live alone now, and the numbers are sure to grow.

Among Americans over 65 who did not live in institutions in 2010, more than 30 percent lived alone. And the percentage of the non-institutionalized who live alone rises with age.

Of women in that group over age 75, half lived alone.

Geriatric care in the 21st century is focused on extending the independence of the elderly with services such as home care as an alternative to nursing homes. But even help in the home is a graduated thing, beginning perhaps with help cleaning and doing chores but not around-the-clock companionship-- at least not in the early going.

So demand for the kind of check-in service Fairfield already is offering is certain to grow, and local officials say other communities are catching on.

So it's time we catch on. If you are part of a vulnerable population, what are you waiting for?

If you care about somebody in that population, talk about it.

Registration forms are available at police headquarters, 100 Reef Road, and at the Fairfield Senior Center, 100 Mona Ter. They also are available at the police department website: http://fpdct.com/site/