Forum will discuss elder abuse
CAMBRIDGE, Ontario
A forum to raise awareness of elder abuse will be held at the Cambridge Centre for the Arts June 12.
The event is being held in conjunction with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and is geared to seniors and the people who care about them.
"Elder abuse is a hidden but very much alive issue in our community," said Janis Doran of the Cambridge Working Group on Elder Abuse.
"People are ashamed or embarrassed to say they've been a victim of elder abuse," she said.
Seniors can be the targets of physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect. They can also be financially abused, either by family members or companies seeking to defraud them.
In Waterloo Region in 2007, police responded to 137 cases of elder abuse. But that may be just the tip of the iceberg. Canadian research estimates 80 per cent of elder abuse cases are not brought to the attention of authorities.
The event is free and no registration is required. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by a panel of speakers.
The Elder Abuse Response team will discuss how to prevent, identify and respond to abuse, and a member of the Waterloo Regional Police Fraud Team will talk about the impact fraud and identity theft can have on seniors.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was designated by an international network of partners including the World Health Organization and the UN Committee on Aging.
SOURCE: TheRecordNews
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