June 15 Is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, an annual event aimed at increasing awareness of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, will be commemorated on June 15.

The awareness day was launched in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization.

Elder abuse is a growing problem throughout the world, the website of the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) says.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day gives “communities around the world [the opportunity] to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect,” the NCEA website says.

In a May 27 McKnight’s Long-Term Care News commentary, PHI Organizational Change Consultant Cean Eppelheimer wrote that one reason elder abuse is so prevalent is that, under certain circumstances, anyone can be a potential abuser.

PHI has developed a unique curriculum, Training to Prevent Elder Abuse and Neglect, that has been proven to prevent abuse across multiple long-term care settings.

More information about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is available at the NCEA and Administration for Community Living websites.

— by Matthew Ozga