World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2011

June 15, 2011
This year, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEADD) falls on June 15. It is a day recognized in communities and by individuals throughout the world as a time to increase awareness of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of older persons are abused, neglected, and exploited. Studies show that 11 percent of people ages 60 and older were abused in some way in the last year.  A new MetLife Mature Market Institute study found that the estimated annual financial loss by victims of elder abuse is at least $2.9 billion, which is a 12 percent increase from 2008.  Fortunately, there are resources available to increase advocacy and awareness.

Please visit the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) website to learn more about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and what role you can play in raising awareness about elder abuse. The Elder Abuse Awareness Community Guide Toolkit, which contains press releases, logos, posters, and other advocacy tools to assist your advocacy efforts, can be found on that site. The Administration on Aging‘s National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) compiled a list of activities around the country celebrating the day, which can be found here.   

Individuals can also show their support for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by wearing purple on June 15.  NASUAD encourages you to join the international community this year in recognizing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.