30-01-2025
TBI releases new resources for senior citizens
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) released new resources for senior citizens across the state.
TBI Find is an Apple and Android-friendly mobile application meant to provide the public with up-to-the-minute updates on Silver Alerts. Additionally, the app will provide seniors with resources on education and support.
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CareKit is one of the app's main features, which the TBI said allows users to compile information and pictures of loved ones to email to law enforcement in the event of an emergency. While the app is primarily intended for senior citizens, the agency also recommended parents of children consider utilizing this feature because updated information and pictures can be hindrances in missing persons emergencies.
'I think there's a lot of concern about protecting people as they get older,' commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health, Dr. Ralph Alvarado, said. 'It's part of the effort to help protect people as they get older in this state. We're trying to develop an age-friendly ecosystem in Tennessee. We've got not only TBI, [but] a lot of our departments in the state government are focusing on that.'
TBI's Assistant Special Agent in Charge overseeing the Missing Persons Unit, Shelly Smitherman, said the app empowers the public to prepare for emergencies before they happen, which helps when time is of the essence.
'Too many times we issue Silver, AMBER, or Endangered Child alerts with out-of-date pictures or incomplete or inaccurate details of the missing person,' Smitherman said.
In a Wednesday press release, the agency said the app has been in development for more than two years. Smitherman said the agency believes it to be the first mobile app of its kind in the U.S.
'TBI Find is a powerful tool, giving you instant alerts and vital resources, and it can also be a game changer for law enforcement in an emergency,' Smitherman added.
Additionally, the TBI launched the SafeSeniorTN campaign website. The website includes information about email and text messaging safety, healthcare fraud and patient abuse. That information is compiled through the work of agents in the Medicaid Fraud Control Division and the Cybercrime & Digital Evidence Unit as well as other partner agencies.
'We're tired of seeing seniors being victimized, when common-sense advice could have saved both headache and heartache,' TBI's Assistant Special Agent in Charge of its Medicaid Fraud Control Division in East Tennessee, Andy Corbitt, said. 'That's why we've worked to bring together the best guidance in one, trustworthy resource we can update as technology and crime evolves.'
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The campaign also aims to offer clear, concise details on warning signs of elderly abuse and how to report crimes and concerns.
Follow this link for more information on how to download the TBI Find app. Follow this link to visit the SafeSeniorTN campaign website.
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