On the 15th of June each year we focus attention on fighting the physical, emotional, mental and financial abuse of our older folk. The ones who have lived their lives, have grown and nurtured us to the best of their ability. Shared their wisdom and experience freely and who now need our love and support in their twighlight years. One thing we know for sure is one day it will be us.
Research has shown that elderly abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation is one of the biggest issues facing senior citizens around the world. World Health Organization data suggests that 4 to 6 per cent of elderly suffer from some form of abuse, a large percentage of which goes unreported.
Looking after my parents is proving challenging as I do my best to arrange for their needs to be met and I can easily understand how frustrated carers can get and how frustrated and confusing it is for elderly people who slowly have to let go of control of their own lives and homes.
They want and deserve the freedom to make their own decisions for as long as they are able but they are inundated with exploitive, unsolicited fake phone calls demanding money or their healing, or phone, or pension will be cut off if they don’t give them their bank account details. Unscrupulous people turning up on the door step saying there is a problem with the roof and they can fix it for x amount of money when there is nothing wrong with it. Those are some examples I deal with on a daily basis.
Abuse and neglect are other issues. Many families live many miles apart now, some on separate continents and the old folks don’t want to leave their home and move and not everyone is lucky enough to be able to move closer to their parents. There are many care organisations, agencies etc but unless you are physically there you cannot “know” what is happening either in the home or in a care home or hospital.
As the general population ages the need for local and national government, academics, charities and private sector businesses to come together with senior citizens, their caregivers, paid and unpaid to find a solution to the ever-increasing incidents of violence towards old people both in and out of their own homes.
The purpose of today is to encourage countries to create policies to foster respect of elders and to provide them with the necessary tools so they can continue to be happy and productive citizens as well as raising awareness in local communities about the abuse and giving local communities the resources to identify and remove it.
The first WEAAD was observed in 2012
It was marked by meetings and conferences at the UN headquarters in New York.
In addition to the WEAAD, the UN also observes an International Day of Older Persons on October 1 every year to recognize the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives.
Of course there also needs to be a World Abused Carers day as the abuse mental and emotional abuse my team of carers get from Mother needs addressing as well.