In honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which will take place on June 15, 2019, the city of Charleston Mayor’s Office on Aging has partnered with the Medical University of South Carolina to host a series of events designed to raise awareness of this issue and promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older adults.
The following events are scheduled for this week:
- Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 12 PM – 1 PM: Public Panel Lifting Voices Up: Social Connection and Aging, MUSC Bioengineering Building, Room 110
- Wednesday June 12, 2019, 12 PM – 1 PM: Brown Bag Luncheon: Women's Rights to an Equal Standard of Living as They Age, MUSC College of Nursing, Conference Room 202
- Thursday June 13, 2019, 11 AM – 1 PM: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Resource Fair, MUSC Greenway, Doughty Street
Each year, an estimated 5 million older persons are abused, neglected and exploited. Older adults throughout the United States lose an estimated $2.6 billion or more annually due to elder financial abuse and exploitation, funds that they need to pay for basics such as housing, food and medical care. It is estimated that only about one in five of those crimes are ever reported.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. WEAAD’s purpose is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of elder mistreatment by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic factors that drive and influence elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.