THUNDER BAY – Dressed in purple, a crowd gathered at city hall to help take action towards preventing elder abuse.
To mark the 14th annual recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a flag raising ceremony was held on Friday at city hall
Community Elder Abuse Prevention Committee chair Deanna Bessel said elder abuse can take many forms and often goes unnoticed.
“Physical, psychological, neglect, financial…a lot of times many different forms occur together,” Bessel said.
Each individual has a role to play in preventing elder abuse, and the Community Elder Abuse Prevention Committee is hopeful that community members will do their part in promoting dignity and respect for all adults.
According to the United Nations, elder abuse affects one in 10 elders worldwide and is recognized as a global issue.
Lee Stones, former chair of the elder abuse committee, said the number could be higher.
“There’s an awful lot of abuse that goes on that we don’t know about,” Stones said during the flag-raising event.
“It’s hidden. How do you tell on your son or daughter or grandson? A lot of these people don’t recognize it or don’t know what resources they have.”
For more than 14 years, the committee has grown in size, along with various initiatives to increase public awareness.
“We’re trying to promote awareness in such a way that families have a healthier attitude towards finances and treatment,” Stones said.
Bessel said elder abuse occurs in many different forms, and that certain cases aren’t always alike.
“It could be families that don’t have resources they need, and could neglect the older adult in a really desperate situation,” Bessel said. “It could be physical, somebody could reach their boiling point and unfortunately sometimes families, friends or bystanders will react physically to an older adult because of their vulnerability.”
Committee members are also encouraging residents to wear purple in support of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which is on Saturday.
Stones said the movement to wear purple started in Atikokan, Ont. when she decided the colour purple would represent the fight against elder abuse.
“They wanted a colour that would stand out for their candles for their celebration (in Atikokan). I brought it to Toronto and it spread from there,” Stones added.
