Today, June
15, 2009, is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. On this day, communities
all over the USA and the world will sponsor events to shed light on the
growing and tragic issue of elder abuse.
The U.S. Administration on Aging
estimates that 700,000 to 3.5 million older Americans are abused each
year. And this is only the tip of the iceberg since only one in five
cases of abuse is ever reported to authorities! But elder
abuse is preventable through public awareness and education.
Some things that you can do to prevent elder abuse are:
1. Call or visit an elderly loved one and ask how he or she is doing
2. Provide a respite break for a caregiver
3. Ask your bank manager to train tellers on how to detect elder financial abuse
4. Ask your doctor to ask all senior patients about possible family violence in their lives
5. Wear a gold ribbon or a purple ribbon for Elder Abuse Awareness
6. Organize a “Respect Your Elders” essay or poster contest in your child’s school
7. Ask your
religious congregation’s leader to give a talk about elder abuse at a
service or to put a message about elder abuse in the bulletin
8. Volunteer to be a friendly visitor to a nursing home resident or to a homebound senior in your neighborhood
9.
Send a letter to your local paper, radio or TV station suggesting that
they cover World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15)
10. Learn the warning signs of abuse – for more information, visit www.centeronelderabuse.org.
For more, please read the story.
________________________________________________________________
Robert W. Carter, Jr. is a Virginia attorney whose law practice is
dedicated to protecting the rights of the victims of nursing
home and assisted living neglect and abuse in Richmond, Roanoke,
Norfolk, Lynchburg, Danville, Charlottesville, and across Virginia.
