World Elder Abuse Awareness Day - 15 June every year. This day is an opportunity to shine the light on the role we can all play in reducing elder abuse and neglect.
This year's theme will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the rights of older persons.
The last few months have been hard for all New Zealanders with more emotional and financial stress. As older people are a higher risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19, they were encouraged to be extra vigilant, stay home whenever possible and ask for help from those around them. This has resulted in many older people relying more on those around them than ever before.
As many as one in ten older people in New Zealand will experience some kind of elder abuse. The majority of cases will go unreported. Abusers are often someone they depend on for support or care, someone close, someone they trust. This can make it especially hard to speak up.
Now is the time to make sure the older people in your life are safe. We all have a role to play in putting an end to elder abuse and to help support the health and wellbeing of the older people around us. It can be difficult to identify abuse, there is no single 'type' of elder abuse. It can be psychological, financial, physical or sexual. More often than not, people experience more than one type of abuse. If you are concerned about how you, or someone you know, is being treated, don’t accept it. It’s OK to ask for help.
Talk to someone you trust. Alternatively, call our free and confidential helpline 0800 32 668 65 (EA NOT OK), text 5032 or email support@elderabuse.nz
For more information on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day go to www.superseniors.msd.govt.nz
Now is the time to make sure the older people in your life are safe. We all have a role to play in putting an end to elder abuse and to help support the health and wellbeing of the older people around us. It can be difficult to identify abuse, there is no single 'type' of elder abuse. It can be psychological, financial, physical or sexual. More often than not, people experience more than one type of abuse. If you are concerned about how you, or someone you know, is being treated, don’t accept it. It’s OK to ask for help.
Talk to someone you trust. Alternatively, call our free and confidential helpline 0800 32 668 65 (EA NOT OK), text 5032 or email support@elderabuse.nz
For more information on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day go to www.superseniors.msd.govt.nz