Hinds County law enforcement officials are close to opening an emergency shelter for seniors that they say will help protect elderly victims of abuse or neglect statewide.
"Seniors are the largest growing population worldwide, and Mississippi is no exception," Sheriff's Department project manager Ruth Marie Stogner said. So authorities are expecting to see more crimes targeting the elderly, especially those with physical or mental ailments.
Mississippians age 65 or older number more than 364,000 and make up 12.5 percent of the population, according to 2009 Census estimates. That's an increase of 6 percent in the last decade.
The state Attorney General's Office investigates cases of abuse, neglect, fraud and exploitation of vulnerable adults. Its investigators have opened 812 new cases this year, up from 591 last year.
The emergency shelter is a renovated house in southwest Jackson that will provide temporary living quarters and care for up to eight.
"We will be able to take them out of a bad situation and give them a safe home until we can locate their Medicaid or Social Security and can put them in a place where it is stable," Stogner said.
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Shelter for Elderly to Open in Hinds
3 comments:
Yeah, right! Lock 'em up and drug them to death.
A shelter for the elderly? Sounds like a good idea.
I'm not sure if this is good or bad.
Ryan's right -- it sounds like a good idea.
But, Anon has a big point -- it could be a way to trap more victims.
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