WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS

Rick Gambrel

Seniors First BC

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is marked each year on June 15.

It is an official United Nations International Day acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.

Since 2006, communities throughout the country, and around the world, have honoured that day to raise the visibility of elder abuse by organizing events to share information and promote resources and services that can help increase seniors’ safety and well-being. Elder Abuse networks and organizations hold multiple WEAAD activities across the country to mobilize community action and engage people in discussions on how to promote dignity and respect of older adults.

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 6 adults worldwide have been abused in the past year. Elder abuse is defined as Physical Abuse (hitting, pushing, kicking, or the inappropriate use of drugs or restraints), Emotional Abuse (insults, threats, humiliation, controlling behaviour, or isolation), Sexual Abuse, Financial Exploitation (misusing or stealing a person’s money or assets), and Neglect (not providing food, housing, or medical care).

People who commit elder abuse are often in a position of trust, including family members of the elder.

The effects of elder abuse can be devastating . . . physical injuries, worsened health conditions, anxiety, loneliness, and loss of dignity.

But elder abuse is preventable. We can all help ensure that older people live in safety without the fear of being injured, exploited, or neglected.

Elders can help lessen the chance of abuse by staying connected to family and friends, learning more about their rights, and making sure their financial and legal affairs are in order.

The public can watch for the signs of abuse and learn how to get help. Elders can help lessen the chance of abuse by staying connected to family and friends, learning more about their rights, and making sure their financial and legal affairs are in order.

Seniors First BC is one of those organizations that devotes itself, every day of the year, to prevent elder abuse and to provide assistance and support to older adults that are, or may be,

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abused and those whose rights have been violated.

Seniors First BC is the only nonprofit organization in Western Canada offering a mix of legal, psycho-social, and justice-based supports to older adults.

Seniors First BC has staff from different professional fields, including lawyers and social workers. That has allowed us to gain expertise about elder abuse issues from various professional perspectives and has given us a unique, holistic, and multidisciplinary perspective.

We provide programs that educate, support, and advocate on behalf of our clients. Our programs include the following. Seniors Abuse & Information Line (SAIL) Our Province wide confidential Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL) is a safe place for older adults and those who care about them to talk to a trained intake worker about abuse or mistreatment and to receive information and support about issues that impact the health and well-being of an older adult. Victim Services Program The Victims Services Program helps victims of crime or abuse who are 50+ and provides emotional support to anyone who has witnessed the abuse of an older adult.