Reducing the level of fraud and abuse of seniors and raising awareness of these issues is the focus of a 17-county Regional Senior Summit scheduled for May 15th here in Knox County. County mayors, district attorney generals, and sheriffs from throughout East Tennessee counties will partner in this second annual regional event for seniors, their families, and their caregivers. Because fraud and abuse is such a critical problem for our seniors, county sheriffs are co-hosting this year’s Summit. Sheriffs are often responsible for the initial reporting of suspicious incidents involving seniors. Once they have identified problems, our sheriffs work in cooperation with seniors and their families to help find the appropriate modes of assistance or intervention.
The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that between 1 and 2 million Americans who are over the age of 65 have been victimized. They also estimate that for every case of elder abuse or neglect that is reported, five go unreported. The Regional Senior Summit on Fraud and Abuse: Empowering Seniors to Take Charge and Live Better will be held at the Knoxville Expo Center on Thursday, May 15. The Summit will include a program of speakers and a broad range of information for seniors, their families, and senior service providers at booths and displays at the companion Senior Expo.
“This Summit is a great opportunity for us to create awareness of how the seniors living in our 17 counties are victimized. Our seniors are our greatest generation and deserve our protection. The focus of this year’s Summit has been expanded to include financial security, independence, and health, and is designed to strengthen the awareness of the issues and the available resources connected to them,” Mayor Ragsdale explained.
The Summit will be held Thursday, May 15, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Hwy. Knoxville, Tennessee 37912. For more information or to register, please call 215-3990 or contact your County Mayor's office. Register online.
For exhibitor or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ben Sharbel.
Last year’s inaugural Regional Senior Summit drew approximately 2,500 seniors and 75 senior service vendors and health care agencies. As a result, four counties (Scott, Campbell, Grainger, and Monroe) have created active elder watch programs. Several other counties have sponsored mini senior summits. These new initiatives and activities are expanding the base of support to help address the fraud and abuse problems our seniors face.
Participating county mayors, district attorney generals, and sheriffs signed a declaration of commitment to support efforts to reduce the level of fraud and abuse of seniors and to help raise awareness about senior victimization. The mayors then commissioned 39 Summit delegates from across the 17 counties. The delegates will serve as a point of contact and help guide their local government leadership in addressing issues impacting seniors in their communities, provide information to citizens, identify sponsors and exhibitors, and much more.
