World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is taking place June 15 and during that week the Prince George Community Response Network is hosting a couple of events to shine some light on the situation.
On Monday, June 14 at City Hall, Mayor Lyn Hall will raise the WEAAD flag at 1 p.m. and declare that in
The next day at 2 p.m. more than 100 cars will participate in a car parade that will visit senior care homes and organizations that help and provide resources to the elders in the community.
Purple is the colour adopted around the world to signal support and awareness.
“We are striving to create a sea of purple during the parade to draw the attention of passersby,” Shelly LeBreton, spokesperson for the network.
The group needs volunteers to help manage the cars at the starting point of the parade from noon to 3 p.m. at the parking lot by the Aquatic Centre.
This public awareness campaign is COVID friendly and can accommodate all people eager to participate in helping bring awareness to this vital issue as they work towards ending elder abuse, LeBreton added.
“Financial abuse is the most common form of elder abuse,” LeBreton said. “The bank of mom and dad was a webinar I attended during COVID.”
It talked about how children take advantage of their aging parents in a variety of ways, including power-of-attorney theft where the child had control of the parent’s finances, including full access to bank accounts and they would steal money from their parents, she explained.
“It’s so sad that these are their loved ones who are taking advantage of them.”
Other forms of elder abuse include physical and emotional abuse, neglect or abandonment and sexual abuse.
The Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL) is a safe, confidential place for older adults and those who care about them to talk to someone about situations where they feel they are being abused or mistreated, or to receive information about elder abuse prevention, the website said.
To reach out, call toll-free 1-866-437-1940 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily or visit the website.
“I think the car parade is going to be the coolest way to raise awareness,” LeBreton said. “We all have a role to play in creating the safe, supportive communities that we all want to live and grow old in.”
To register for the parade, send an email or call 250-301-6664.
