The Itasca County TRIAD has been officially in existence for 11 years.  Members have enjoyed friendship, camaraderie, and many worthwhile endeavors together.  They work a booth at the Grand Rapids Home Show, the Nashwauk Home Show, and the Itasca County Fair, where they bring brochures on safety, fraud, identity theft, and a variety of information pertinent to being a senior citizen, staying safe, healthy, and in the know.  TRIAD stands for The Right Information And Direction, and that’s just where these seniors are headed!

Itasca County Sheriff Pat Medure and several members of the local senior clubs got together and discussed the concept of TRIAD.  A formal document was signed with the Itasca County Board of Commissioners,  local law enforcement agencies, and Itasca County Attorney Jack Muhar, and on May 9, 1996, Itasca County TRIAD was born.

Some of the projects this active group have shared with the public are as follows: A highly visible florescent pink card that is put on a refrigerator listing all medications and health alerts, survival kits for automobiles, etc., beacon light bulbs that, when flicked on twice, flash on and off, alerting medical personnel and making it easier to find a residence where someone needs medical attention, and the yellow dot program, where a yellow dot is placed on the back window of a vehicle, alerting emergency personnel to the fact that there is medical information on a card in the glove compartment.

Beacon Light Bulbs Project for medical emergencies.

Itasca County co-hosted the State TRIAD Conference in Grand Rapids in 2001 with Cass County TRIAD and again in 2004 with Cass County at Walker.  These groups have become quite close and are good at staying in touch and sharing ideas.

We hope that the information gleaned from TRIAD is informative and will alert seniors and others to scams, fraud, crimes on seniors, and senior services. 

These are energetic, involved, vibrant people with a message who are a blessing to know.

Available Products...

1.)  Cool ties.  These ties are great for sending Overseas or just for use when heating up.  They are ties that have special beads in them and when that part of the necktie is soaked in water, the beads expand, hold the cool water, and keep the lucky individual wearing it cool.  These ties are going to be sold for $4.00 each, plus $2.00 shipping and handling -- a real deal!

Cool Ties - Soak in cold water for 15-30 minutes, until the crystals dissolve into jell to fill up middle part.  Will keep cool in plastic bag in refrigerator.  Can reuse.  If dries out soak again.

These cool ties are GREAT for keeping your cool in hot weather, especially gardeners, cyclists, runners, walkers, joggers, children, and even your pet.  They come in a wide range of colors and patterns.  However, colors and patterns my very, so please check availability.

2.)  The other new item will be a small plastic device (originally used for hearing aid batteries) that can hold two aspirin and be worn around the neck or attached to a belt, purse, key ring, etc.  This little item will sell for $2.00 for the small chain and $3.00 for dog-tag length.  The concept behind this invention is that the aspirin is readily available if heart pain commences and may stave off a heart attack and give someone valuable time until help can be summoned.

To Order...

If you would like to order either of these products, please send a check or money order to:

Itasca County Sheriff's Office

ATTN: Nell Hoey

440 1st. Ave.

Grand Rapids, MN   55744

If you have any questions, you can contact the Itasca County Sherriff's Office at:

Phone: 218-326-7421 or 800-458-8732

E-mail: nell.hoey@co.itasca.mn.us

The money made from the sale of these products is used to defray the cost of sending TRIAD members to the state conferences and for buying supplies needed for more projects.  The information learned at the conference is brought home and shared with the various senior groups.