North/East Shopper-News 012517

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VOL. 5 NO. 4

FIRST WORDS

Reform elder law now

www.ShopperNewsNow.com |

January 25, 2017

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Paschal Carter Park has it all, close by

By Shannon Carey All my fellow Gen X’ers, Millennials and younger, give me your attention. You guys, we are so not ready for the Silver Tsunami. If you’ve not heard, that’s the going name for the tidal wave of elderly Andrea Kline folks needing care that’s expected as the Baby Boomers – our parents and grandparents – age. I heard Assistant District Attorney Andrea Kline speak about elder abuse last week, and the statistics she quoted are staggering. Age 85 and over is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. By 2050, 19.8 million will be over 85. Half will have some kind of dementia. Kline said Tennessee’s laws about elder abuse, her specialty within Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen’s office, are outdated, making it difficult to prosecute those who prey on the elderly. Written in the 1970s, those laws were cutting-edge at the time, but they need a reboot. She said, and I agree, “It’s time for a change, and the time is now.” More statistics: 47 percent of elders will suffer abuse by their caregivers, and only one in 19 of those cases will be reported. Examples include physical abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The stories will break your heart, like the one Kline shared about an unnamed 90-yearold woman who was left in a bathtub for four days by her “caregiver” son with nothing but a Honeybun and a yogurt to sustain her. Shocking? “Things like that happen all the time,” said Kline. She receives between five and 20 referrals a day, although she does not prosecute them all. She, along with Knoxville and Knox County law enforcement and Adult Protective Services, set up the first VAPIT (Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigation Team) in the state, making it a model that is now required in every Tennessee DA’s office. Kline is also part of a team that has drafted a new section of code for state law dealing just with elder abuse. The proposed change is modeled after child abuse laws because “these victims are vulnerable in ways similar to children.” To page A-3

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Paschal Carter Park is a tucked-away treasure that offers year-round outdoor enjoyment.

The old Carter Mill wheel sits on its original stone foundation.

By Esther Roberts If you are looking for a great local spot for a gentle hike, picnic, cookout, family reunion or a fun day outdoors with the kids, look no farther than Paschal Carter Park. Located at 9217 Carter Mill Road, Paschal Carter Community Park (“Carter Park”) is easy to find and quickly accessible from downtown or anywhere on the east side of Knox County. Carter Park provides visitors with a scenic and secluded venue for numerous out-

Three of the mill stones used in the original Carter Mill door activities. There are plenty of excellent spots for picnicking, including a covered shed with ample space for at least a hundred people, individual picnic tables set up along the crisp creek that flows directly from Carter Mill Spring, and numerous

Photos by Esther Roberts

grassy spaces for an old-fashioned blanket-and-basket picnic on the ground. Standing charcoal grills are available throughout the picnic area. For children, there is a level play area, complete with several slides, swings and climbing bars.

Carter Mill Creek also offers many opportunities for enjoying and exploring aquatic habitat. The centerpiece of the picnic area is the old Carter Mill wheel, which sits aloft its original stone foundation as a reminder of the once-active millhouse that has long since vanished. Three of the original mill stones have been laid along a nearby knoll. Close inspection of the stones reveals one complete set of mill stones and one without its mate. To page A-3

2 seek fairness in school rezoning By Betty Bean From Farragut to Gibbs, from South Knoxville to Hardin Valley, the Butlers have sat in school auditoriums listening to the concerns of parents and community members who are bracing themselves for a massive middle school rezoning. What the Rev. John and the Rev. Donna Butler (they are both ordained ministers) say

they want in their own communities is pretty much the same as what other communities want: State-of-the-art neighborhood schools, a 21st century curriculum, first-rate teachers and administrators who represent their community. “Our communities are not all black, so we don’t expect all black teachers,” John Butler

said. “But we do want a good representation of what our community looks like. And we also would have liked for the school board, before they made decisions, to have included the whole community and formulated a plan before they made the decision for the benefit of a specific population only.” To page A-3

Here’s a thought: Ask a teacher By Lauren Hopson

Kids need to be kids. Children don’t have enough time just to play anymore. These are statements heard regularly from teachers and parents alike. Recess times have gotten whittled down from 30 minutes to 15 in many schools across the state. Some schools don’t offer recess on days that Hopson students have physical education class. Teachers are starting to use all kinds of gadgets from exercise balls to pedal desks and fidget toys, just to give students an outlet for their boundless energy. Knee deep in good intentions, our friendly local legislators jumped in to save the day! This past fall, a new Tennessee law went into effect that altered the structure of the school day. It mandated additional time for public school students to engage in unstructured physical activity, otherwise known as recess. I imagine the sponsors of this bill were reacting to data about the health of our children and outcries from con-

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teachers are thankful that they may have a more workable schedule next year, many are wary that taking away all time requirements may allow districts to skimp on recess again. If physical activity is so important, why on earth would school systems do this? The answer lies in our obsession with feeding the testing beast. As long as test scores are used inappropriately to judge schools, administrators and educators, districts are going to be tempted to use every possible minute for instruction of subjects that can be assessed by TN Ready. Last I checked, recess is not a tested subject, but apparently, you can do math and sit on a bouncy ball at the same time. The lesson to be learned here is that crafting legislation should always involve asking the experts. Healthcare workers should be consulted on medical legislation. Safety policies should be crafted with input from the police. Maybe we should also ask teachers how legislation will actually translate to the classroom. Lauren Hopson is president of the Knox County Education Association and a mom.

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cerned parents and teachers. In theory, if kids need more exercise, then let’s give it to them. While we were watching harmful bills that would drain funds from public education by funding charter schools and voucher programs, this seemingly helpful one snuck up on us. It came as a great surprise to administrators who were suddenly tasked with fitting in additional periods of recess between 90-minute math and reading blocks, lunchtimes, related arts classes and intervention schedules. Bad weather, limited playground space and seven-hour days became issues. A couple extra 15-minute breaks per day may not seem like a big deal until you are faced with the nonexistent sense of urgency of a 7-year-old who needs to find his coat, go to the bathroom, get a drink of water and then play in the water fountain on the way to the playground door. Many of them will probably need to do that again on the way back to the classroom. That is what 7-year-olds do. Happily, Rep. Bill Dunn was quick to recognize the problems and introduced a bill this year to repeal the previous legislation. While

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