MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – Senior citizens in today's world face challenges many of our parents and grandparents never imagined -- from the opioid crisis to scam artists finding new ways to steal their money.
Macomb County has a program called the Senior Academy that trains seniors to protect themselves every Monday for four straight weeks.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office wants to get the attention of all senior citizens who live in the area to take part in a class that could keep them safer and better informed.
"Sometimes, they're not up to speed with the changes of technology and so forth, so we want to educate them on what's going on in the world today," Macomb County Sgt. Renee Yax said.
The program focuses on threats to seniors, such as accidental opioid overdoses caused by mixing painkillers with alcohol or sleeping pills.
"We really want them to understand what an opioid overdose would look like," Senior Academy program director Sue Demara said.
Mike Panowitz attends the academy every year. He said he sees how beneficial it is to stay up to date on scams that target seniors by asking them to send money for a variety of reasons.
"They teach you not to do it," Panowitz said. "There's no reason to send money for any of those scams. They explain everything to you about it."
The program begins Oct. 7 and still has 60 spots left. Anyone who is at least 55 years old and is interested in joining the class should call 586-307-9311.