'Show You Care' event part of 'World Elder Abuse Awareness Day'
Rockport Ramblings
By Jonathan L'Ecuyer
June 13, 2009
Communities and municipalities around the world, including Rockport, have declared June 15 as "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day." In an effort to raise local awareness of the international issue, the Rockport Police Department together with the Rockport Council on Aging are teaming up to sponsor a "Show You Care" event in the heart of town Monday morning.
Armed with signs, including an 8-foot-long banner, residents will stand together at the Five Corners between 8 and 9 a.m. urging passersby to help stop elder abuse.
"We will stand to show our support for this worldwide effort to end elder abuse and neglect," said Patrolman Roger Lesch, who also serves as the town's COA chairman.
Organizers are urging residents, especially senior citizens, to attend the event. Additionally, mandated elder abuse reporters — who include police officers, Council on Aging directors, physicians, nurses, dentists, social workers, family counselors, occupational therapists, osteopaths, podiatrists, physical therapists, day care workers, educational administrators, EMTs, firemen, probation officers, and other professionals — are also invited to attend.
According to the World Health Organization, the few population-based studies that have been conducted suggest that between 4 percent and 6 percent of elderly people have experienced some form of abuse in their own homes. The elderly are also at risk of abuse in institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes and other longterm care facilities, studies show.
According to the International Network for the Prevention for Elder Abuse, throughout the world, abuse and neglect of older persons is largely under-recognized or treated as an unspoken problem.
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