World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15.

The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) happens each year on June 15th. It was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2011 following a request by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) who first established the commemoration in June 2006. It represents the one day in the year when the whole world voices its opposition to the abuse and the suffering inflicted on some of our older generations.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) activities are intended to bring greater recognition of abuse and neglect of older adults in British Columbia or wherever they live and to highlight the need for prevention and community involvement in a response to the issue. The Association of Community Response Networks www.bccrns.ca work to give abuse and neglect of seniors a relevance that will sustain and move prevention efforts forward throughout the year and for years to come.

The Iris is the symbol of WEAAD--and the colour purple. Notice all the public buildings that will be lit up in purple on June 15th--city halls, bridges, and more. If your city or area does not light up perhaps this is a good time to talk to the policymakers and the politicians about the importance of protecting seniors from abuse.

Worldwide Statistics 2020

•   Adult abuse is an important public health problem. A World Health Organization 2017 study based on the best available evidence from 52 studies in 28 countries from diverse regions, including 12 low- and middle-income countries, estimated that, over the past year, 15.7% of people (approximately 1 in 6) aged 60 years and older were subjected to some form of abuse.

•   Rates of elder abuse are high in institutions such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with 2 in 3 staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year.

•   Rates of abuse have increased dramatically during the COVID pandemic.

•   Only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse is reported, in part because older people are often afraid to report cases of abuse to family, friends, or to the authorities.

•   13-year a follow-up study found that victims of elder abuse are twice more likely to die prematurely than people who are not victims of elder abuse.

•   By the year 2050, the global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, to about 2 billion. If the proportion of elder abuse victims remains constant, the number of victims will increase rapidly due to population ageing, growing to 320 million victims by 2050.

Canada-wide Statistics 2020

•   Nearly 4% of victims of family violence were 65 years or older.

•   Nearly 61% of incidents of elder abuse were physical assaults against older adults, and 21% involved threats.

•   34% of older adults were victimized by a family member. o Among women victims, 33% were victimised by their spouse and 31% by their grown child.

•   In comparison, among men, the victim's grown child was the most common perpetrator.

British Columbia Statistics 2020

•      The BC211 Helpline received 347 calls about elder abuse in  

        2019/20. Phone or text 2-1-1 for Help.

•      There were 2,138 suspected cases of abuse in 2019 reported to       Designated Agencies; 83% were for seniors aged 65 or older.

•      The Public Guardian and Trustee received 1,723 referrals in               2019/20; 40% proceeded to investigation.

•      The Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL) received 5,558 

        calls in 2019, 28% were related to abuse.