When Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen took office in September 2014, there was no elder abuse unit in East Tennessee, or the rest of the state.
Allen wanted to change that.
"Elders are abused in our society just like children. They are not able to take care of themselves," Allen said. "If you are abusing an elder in our community, we will come after you. We are very aware of what is going on out there and we have upped our game."
Since the unit was established, the number of reported cases it investigated in Knox County has increased significantly year after year. In 2015, 750 cases were investigated. In 2016, the number rose to 950. In 2017, the number hit 1,150.
"We take those cases and we were able to prosecute, over that amount of time, just shy of 300 cases," Allen said. "The fact that we have had enough proof to charge 300 of those cases in the past 3 years is very telling, that we are not doing the best job taking care of our elder adults."
Most of the cases dealt with financial abuse but often led authorities to other crimes.
"When we find an elder who is being financially abused, they are also typically being physically abused or neglected," Allen said.
Just last week, Morristown police found nine residents at the Southern Care Group Home living without heat for several days. The owner is facing neglect charges. The facility is not licensed by the state.
"Facilities that provide actual care for seniors should always be licensed through the State of Tennessee," said Susan Long, director of the Knoxville-Knox County CAC Office On Aging. "When a facility is providing hands on services like bathing, dressing, shaving, giving medicines, then they do require a license."
The Office On Aging works to stop elder abuse and helps people choose the right living facility for their needs. Long said there are several things to look for when looking.
"Understand how much care that facility does give, what’s their staffing ratio, what’s their staffing ratio overnight, how does the facility look, how do the residents look," Long said. "Watch the interaction between the interaction between staff and residents. That’s always important."
The office publishes a senior services directory, which outlines and helps with everything from choosing a living facility to patients' rights.
They urge people searching for a home for their loved ones to ask questions like, 'does the facility conduct background checks?' and 'has the license ever been revoked?'
The AARP has a full checklist you can access here.
The state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse has an online database where you can search to see if a facility is licensed.
If you know of elder abuse taking place, authorities ask you report it immediately.
You can contact Adult Protective Services, the District Attorney's Office, or local law enforcement.