When: 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 15, 2016

 

Where: John T. O’Connor Senior Citizens Center, 611 Winona St.

 

Who:  Mayor Madeline Rogero, District Attorney General Charme Allen, Police Chief David Rausch and U.S. Attorney Nancy Harr

 

The assembled officials will discuss the serious problem of elder abuse in the Knoxville community. Last year, there were 483 investigations involving Adult Protective Services in Knox County, with 422 of those in Knoxville. Those included allegations of emotional abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, and physical and sexual abuse.

 

A new prevention program is aimed at raising awareness of the issue and providing training for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, health-care professionals and others across the community. The grant-funded program is managed by Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee’s Office on Aging. The grant was awarded to the City of Knoxville and Knoxville Police Department from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women.

 

The news conference will be followed at 8:30 a.m. by the official kickoff of the program, which will begin with a day of training activities for professionals who work with older adults.