World

Elder Abuse Awareness Day

June 15, 2011

NCPEA is proud to participate in the 6^th annual “World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.” To mark the occasion, NCPEA is releasing an exclusive song by musician Jeff Beam, written to help spread the word about elder abuse.  Titled “Can’t You Feel The Curve of the Earth?”, the song serves as a wake-up call about the widespread problem of elder abuse.  The song is available on NCPEA’s home page, as well as at http://ncpeajeffbeam.bandcamp.com.  You can own an MP3 of the song for a minimum donation of $1 to NCPEA, to support our work in fighting elder abuse.  Donors contributing $20 or more will receive a special NCPEA/World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2011 wristband, as well as a Certificate of Caring. Please help us share this song, and with it, the message of preventing elder abuse.
Click here to hear the song!  See and share the words and sing the song! 

Click here to see the music video!

This year, WEAAD is gaining more recognition than ever. 

• SUPPORT THE PROCLAMATION TO OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE WEAAD in the U.S.  Elder Justice Coalition (EJC) founder & NCPEA boad member Bob Blancato sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to issue a proclamation and to hold an official signing at the White House on June 15th to commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Click here to view Mr. Blancato's letter to President Obama. Support this proclamation by sending your own version of the letter.

• The EJC-Elder Financial Protection Network STAMP OUT ELDER ABUSE campaign,  calling for an elder abuse stamp, also urges the President to recognize WEAAD.  Sign the petition to support this proclamation:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stampoutelderabuse/

• The Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect at University of California-Irvine, in conjunction with NAPSA and the EJC, has created a post card campaign to commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and urge funding to implement the 2010 Elder Justice Act. The postcard features pictures and a recent quote from Mickey Rooney, who is a victim of financial exploitation.

“World Elder Abuse Awareness Day” (WEAAD) is being celebrated all across the world with various events.  Thanks to NCPEA MEMBERS for sharing news about your WEAAD activities!

• On June 8th, NCPEA board member Holly Ramsey Klausnik spoke at a WEAAD presentation at Old Colony Elder Services in Brockton, MA. The event screened "An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America." For more information contact PMartin@oldcolonyelderserices.org.

• Elder Financial Protection Network and WesPay are presenting a luncheon training session:

 Confronting Financial Elder Abuse: 
Tools and Solutions for Financial Institutions, on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 in San Francisco, CA. Click here to register.
  
• The bipartisan Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus is sponsoring a Congressional forum in Washington DC to honor World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. There will be several NCPEA members and board members speaking at the event, including Robert Blancato, Carmel Dyer, and Trudy Gregory. Click here for more information.
• The Maricopa Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance is holding an open house in Phoenix, AZ on June 15th for WEAAD.  NCPEA board member Mary Lynn Kasunic is a featured speaker. Click here to learn more about the event.
• The 2011 Idaho Summit on Elder Abuse and Exploitation will be held June 16-17, 2011 at the Boise State University Student Union Building. On Thursday, June 16th the keynote speakers will be Lisa Nerenberg, a NCPEA board member. Click here to learn more about the event.
• The New York City Elder Abuse Network is launching their new website on WEAAD at a special press event.  Additionally, they held an art contest to raise awareness for the day. Go to http://www.nycean.net/ on June 15^th to see it all.
• NCPEA was a co-sponsor of an art and essay-writing contest organized by Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago. The successful contest attracted more than 100 creative student and senior contestants; winners will be awarded as part of their WEAAD commemoration on June 15th.  Click here to see it all!
• The Iowa Department on Aging is holding a series of free webinars to kick off on WEAAD. The webinars will help the public identify and address instances of elder abuse in their own communities.
  Click here to register for these free informational sessions.
  
• The Minnesota State Office of Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities is holding a free event in Saint Paul, MN to commemorate WEAAD and to raise awareness: "WEADD: Critical Relationships for a Multi-Disciplinary Tool Box." Email Kevin Hansen to find out more information about this event.
• The St. Tammany SALT (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) Council is hosting an all-day WEAAD event in Slidell, Louisiana on June 14^th.  The event features courses highlighting the various forms and indicators of elder abuse. Click here to learn more. 
  
• The Baltimore City Health Department & CARE Services Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is holding a seminar for WEAAD.
  For more information, email Deborah Hamilton or call 410-779-4637. 
  
• In recognition of WEAAD, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, UC Irvine Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse & Neglect, Casa de Esperanza, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders invite you to listen to a blogtalkradio session and participate in a webinar to learn more about elder abuse: Talking Back & Forth: Hear from Experts on Abuse in Later Life,  June 15, 2011 from 1:00-1:30pm Eastern.Click here to participate!
• VOICe and Butler County Area Agency on Aging are hosting an event in Bultler, PA, also sponsored by the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency, to mark WEAAD.  Diane Menio, Executive Director of CARIE will be the keynote speaker, and there will also be a Mayoral Proclamation, stories of empowerment, and awards for senior services providers who work with elder victims. Click here for more information.
• AgeWell West Roxbury invites the people of Boston to participate in a walk to celebrate WEAAD.  Participants are asked to wear purple to mark the cause.  Click here for more information.
• The Attorney General’s Senior Protection Initiative is partnering with the Delaware Aging Network to host simultaneous events designed to bring greater recognition of WEAAD.  Three simultaneous events will take place in Deleware on June 15th. Click here for more information.

• In New York City, the 6^th Annual NYC Elder Abuse Conference: Is This Elder Abuse?  When Elder Abuse Is Not the Presenting Problem will be held on June 22nd.  This full-day, inter-disciplinary conference, sponsored by multiple NY agencies and coodinated by JASA, is designed for attorneys, social workers, financial managers, policy makers, physicians, geriatric care managers, home care managers, educators, researchers, media, clergy and the general public. For program details and a downloadable registration form, please click here. For additional information, email Martha Pollack, or call her at 718-286-1540.  CLE credits are available.

• In honor of the 2011 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day,
  NAPSA encourages you to view and to share the inspiring video, Color My World Free from Elder Abuse. Click here to watch.
• The Forensic Advocacy Center for Elders hosted an expo Wednesday in Fort Wayne to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It was held at the Public Safety Academy. It was designed to support the United Nations International Plan of Action, which recognizes elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue. Click here to read more.

   

   

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

• The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) is holding A Full Day WEAAD Forum in London, England, on June 17, 2011.  NCPEA board member Patricia Brownell is a featured presenter at the event.  Click here for more information, or click here to view the PDF for the event.  INPEA is the originator of WEAAD, first held in 2006.  Their website offers a variety of wonderful resources for the day and beyond.
• The International Federation on Aging (IFA)  is holding “An International Forum on Sexual Safety for Older Women” in Toronto, Ontario.  NCPEA board members Pamela Teaster & Holly Ramsey-Klawsnik are featured presenters at the forum; Honorary board member Elizabeth Podnieks is Co-Chair of the event, and NCPEA is a collaborating sponsor. Click here for more information.
• The National Centre for the Protection of Older People will be co-hosting a seminar, Open Your Eyes, in Dublin, Ireland with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) to mark WEAAD.  Click here for more information.
• The Silver Innings Foundation is holding an essay contest for WEAAD.  The India-based foundation invites the general public to compose an essay on how to best prevent elder abuse, and if elder abuse can be eliminated all together.   Details on the contest, which runs through June 20^th, can be found by clicking here.
• Senior Rights Victoria of Melbourne, Australia is holding an educational workshop to coincide with WEAAD.  Click here to learn more about the event and to register. 
• The North Okanagan Community Response Network (NOCRN) is hosting a Food Fun and Information Day on June 15th, at the Schubert Centre in Vernon, BC featuring multiple organizational guest speakers and exhibitors. Click here to learn more about the event.
• Shasti Poorthi Abhudaya Samithi (Senior Citizen Organisation) oraganized gatherings to inform importance on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) at various locations at Visakhapatnam (India) on June 15th. Here are a few photos from the event:
  Photo 1    Photo 2   Photo 3   Photo 4   Photo 5