CCSO hosts 5th annual Senior Summit
Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO)
Citrus County, Florida - On Wednesday afternnoon, November 1, 2023, at the Citrus County Sheriff's Office Emergency Operations Center, located at 3549 Saunders Way in Lecanto, Florida, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) hosted its fifth annual Law Enforcement Summit, along with its partner, Coping With Dementia, a Citrus County-based organization that helps raise awareness for Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
The event is held to serve and protect seniors, with the goal of teaching law enforcement agencies and local organizations about memory impairment issues and how they can help people suffering with these issues.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Florida has the second-highest population of senior citizens in the United States. In Citrus County, 36% of residents are over the age of 65, making it imperative that law enforcement agencies and local organizations specializing in memory impairment issues work together to learn the best practices and methods to help and protect senior citizens.
Presenters from around the state of Florida included Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez, who spoke about the Framework for Freedom Budget, which includes over $65 million for Alzheimer's support; Attorney General Ashley Moody, who explained the steps Florida government is taking to combat crimes against seniors, such as fraud; and State Attorney Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit; along with representatives from Coping with Dementia, Florida Department of Elder Affairs, Find-M' Friends, Ocala Fire Rescue, and Sumter County Sheriff's Office.
Throughout the day, over sixty attendees learned about topics such as: how people diagnosed with dementia may perceive law enforcement or caregivers, the importance of using human scent preservation kits, learning about crimes that target the elderly, local programs aimed at protecting seniors, and more.
Sergeant Allison McLaughlin-Perry, who heads the Citirus County Sheriff's Office Behavioral Health Unit, detailed her agency's efforts to protect senior citizens with programs such as the Sheriff's Memory Impaired Locating Endeavor (S.M.I.L.E.) Program.
"As a law enforcement agency, our top priority is to serve and protect our community - especially our senior citizens," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "I am proud that our agency has been able to host this informative event for five years now, and I look forward to continuing to learn about the best practices to serve our seniors, in collaboration with our fellow law enforcement agencies and local organizations."
Florida law enforcement agencies that attended the fifth annual Senior Summit:
Alachua County Sheriff's Office
Florida Highway Patrol
Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Hernando County Sheriff's Office
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Indian River County Sheriff's Office
Lake County Sheriff's Office
Levy County Sheriff's Office
Marion County Sheriff's Office
Orange County Sheriff's Office
Polk County Sheriff's Office
Seminole County Sheriff's Office
Washington County Sheriff's Office