Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day as advocates for the elderly meet across the globe, including in Franklin County, Kentucky.

Last year, the state reported that older adults made up 65% of adult protective services cases.

Those cases include abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the elderly.

As our medical news continues, McKenzie Spink has more with local seniors who say being part of a senior citizen activity center is a great way to stay plugged into community and prevent abuse.

Jim and Dora Wright started participating at the Capital City Activity Center over six years ago, and they say it's changed their lives.

You know, after you hit that magic age, I guess you're not supposed to be anything anymore.

Then you're like forgotten.

You're forgotten person and things like this do help people that are of our age.

I hope it gets bigger.

They've done a lot of things for me that they don't realize that they maybe they do, but if it wasn't for that place, I don't know what I would have done.

I don't know.

It's just that important now to me.

I kid her sometimes and she thinks I don't want to go, but I do want to go.

I don't know what we do.

If we didn't have.

I mean, we just be sitting home being all depressed.

We have somewhere to go.

I really, really am so glad that is Sarah.

Now.

Like her, we we have so many friends.

It's like our second family.

On top of friends, food and fun activities, senior citizen activity centers can also provide a safe place to talk about abuse or neglect happening in the elderly community.

That people don't really know is happening.

And the more you talk about it, and the more you put it out there, the more people will be aware of it.

But, you know, when we hear different ones talk at the center, you know, and we have the chance to see whether or not, you know, if they're going through anything or something like that.

And we have the opportunity to present that, you know, to our director that we do see a change, but we've got to make aware and just keep talking about it.

According to the FBI, adults over 65 lose up to $3.4 billion to financial scams every year.

And the rise of artificial intelligence can make scams harder to identify.

Wright says the staff at her activity center has been a second line of defense when it comes to being aware of scams.

You know, we need advocates.

We need people who are concerned and looking out for us.

They're helping us as they're watchdogs for us.

The scams and stuff are very prevalent.

I've been scammed.

I don't know how many times I. And, you know, my husband's been scammed.

I mean, you have to watch, like, it's so easy.

And now I'm scared because of the AI stuff.

But we have AI classes.

We have people come in to try to help us to know the difference.

And it's good that they keep us on top of things there.

The cabinet for Health and Family Services says there are over 200 senior citizen centers in Kentucky, one in every county.

For Kentucky edition, I'm Mackenzie Spink.

Thank you.

Mackenzie.

This year, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 189, requiring stricter regulations for cryptocurrency ATMs in the state.

Last year, $389 million were lost to crypto ATM scams.

Nationwide, 86% of those impacted were seniors.