Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark signed a proclamation to recognize June 15 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day and highlight the community's commitment to keeping seniors safe through engagement and action.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat’s Veiner Centre is hoping to raise awareness of what elder abuse is and how it affects older individuals in the community during World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, held annually June 15.
“We feel this is a really important day for us to honour, as elder abuse is something that a lot of our community doesn’t recognize as being a large issue in Medicine Hat,” Veiner Centre executive director Cori Fischer told the News.
Fischer explained that elder abuse is a form of abuse which affects older individuals, and while it can be physical, including sexual violence, it more often involves financial abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, and thus can be harder to detect.
As well as being difficult to detect, elder abuse is often under-reported, and when it is reported, charges are rarely laid, said Fischer.
“Sometimes elder abuse is related to a family member,” said Fischer. “It can be very difficult for the person who’s being abused to want to lay charges against a family member, so it becomes really important that we are recognizing elder abuse through World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (and) we’re educating the community of what elder abuse is and what they can do about it.”
Fischer and her team are inviting members of the public to Veiner Centre on Thursday for several education presentations regarding elder abuse.
“We are going to be holding an education presentation down at the Veiner Centre called ‘What Elder Abuse Is and What to do About It,'” said Fischer. “Then, we’re going to have guest speakers from the Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council, Medicine Hat Police Services, Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society and Medicine Hat Family Services.”
The free, public presentations run from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Refreshments will be offered, and attendees are invited to visit the centre’s Bistro for lunch once presentations have concluded.
For those unable to attend the education presentations, information tables will be set up at the centre throughout the day.
As well, Fischer invites community members to show their support for the cause by taking part in the centre’s digital social media campaign #RockYourLocks.
“What we’re asking people to do is to just put a little bit of purple in their hair to show that they’re recognizing today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day,” said Fischer, explaining purple is the colour associated with elder abuse awareness.
“We also are going to have our beautiful teepee lit up in purple on Thursday, so that is very exciting as well.”
