A group formed to address the issue of elder abuse in Northern Kentucky will hold its first meeting Wednesday, Oct. 22.

The Northern Kentucky Local Coordinating Council on Elder Maltreatment (LCCEM) will meet at 9 a.m. at the Northern Kentucky Area Development District office at 22 Spiral Drive in Florence.

The group’s aim is to bring together key community partners to study the adult protective services system in Northern Kentucky, identify gaps in services and develop strategies to fill those gaps. The ultimate goal is to help the current system operate more efficiently and responsively.

With leadership and support from state Sen. Katie Stine, R-Fort Thomas, the LCCEM has engaged local law enforcement agencies, county and commonwealth’s attorneys, circuit, district and family court judges, and other providers of medical and human services.

National experts call the neglect, abuse and exploitation of senior citizens a largely hidden tragedy. They estimate that, for every case reported, at lease five go unreported.

For more information on the LCCEM, contact Joel Griffith at (859) 525-6783 or Carol Marek at (859) 283-1885.