Commemorating World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

The PDF in which this article appears can be found in Bifocal Vol. 46 Issue 5.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is commemorated each year on June 15^th in recognition of the millions of older adults who experience abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that as many as one in six people, ages 60 and older, experienced some form of abuse in community setting in the past year, which is only expected to increase as the global population of older people increases to about 2 billion in 2050.

To honor WEAAD this year, the Commission on Law and Aging (COLA) developed a series of short webinars to provide older adults and their families with information and resources on common issues in elder abuse. The webinars raise awareness of the growing problem of elder abuse and promote a better understanding of issues as it affects people throughout the world. For example, panelists Jennifer Spoeri, of the National Adult Protective Services Association, and Lori Mars, of the National Center on Elder Abuse, discuss the history of WEAAD and important interventions for elder abuse.

COLA’s webinars for WEAAD also provide valuable information to older adults and family members. Panelists Eric Drogin, Chair of COLA, and Ron Long, Liaison of COLA, discussed common scams targeting older adults and provided ways that people could fight back against these scams. Similarly, Mary Jane Cicarello, of the Borchard Center on Law & Aging, Lisa Nerenberg, of the California Elder Justice Coalition, Carol Sewell, of the California Elder Justice Coalition, and Jessica Brock, of COLA, discusses innovations in elder justice, including current systemic responses to elder abuse.