Statistically 9,000 older adults are affected by elder abuse in Calgary. That’s 9,000 parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends.  Because elder abuse isn’t something that happens to other people, it happens to real people.

People that we come into contact with every day; people that we live next to or provide services to, people that we consider acquaintances or share mutual friends with.

June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day; a day when a metaphorical spotlight shines on this growing issue.  But what happens after June 15th? Does the issue disappear? No. So neither should the spotlight.

Let’s make 2015 the year when elder abuse didn’t just fade into the background after June 15th: let’s make 2015 the year when we did something about it.

What can you do?

• You can educate yourself, your family and your friends on identifying the signs of elder abuse by taking our online training.  It takes an hour and costs $10.  We also have an online course for professionals who come into contact with older adults.
• You can call our Elder Abuse Resource Line on 403-705-3250 to report suspected cases of abuse or simply access more information.
• You can make a donation to victims of elder abuse and help us continue our work in supporting them.

For further information on how Carya is making a difference, go to caryacalgary.ca/elderabuse