World Elder Abuse Day

On Wednesday the 15th of June PRONIA joined Senior Rights Victoria in continuing the conversation of ageism over afternoon tea at ‘Stir a Cuppa with Seniors’. Our very own Rena Frangioudaki and Antonios Maglis featured on a panel discussion raising awareness for Elder Abuse alongside Gerard Mansour, the Ambassador for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the Commissioner for Victorian Seniors as well as Dr. Marlene Krasovitsky, Co-Chair and Director of EveryAGE Counts campaign.
Thank you to everyone who attended, it was a lovely informative event that we are proud to have been a part of.

While it may be difficult to imagine anyone would deliberately harm an elderly person, elder abuse is a very real and widespread problem with almost 𝟭 𝗶𝗻 𝟲 𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 reported experiencing 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗲 in the past 12 months.

Elder abuse can occur in all types of carer relationships, predominantly perpetrated by adult children towards their ageing parents. People 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 by the individuals 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 this form of 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Some instances of abuse are intended to exploit the person 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, withdrawing money from their bank accounts or coercing them to sign documentation withdrawing their financial or medical decision-making rights.

In other instances, the elderly are 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱. Entrusted caregivers do not provide basic necessities including nutritious meals, required medication or assistance with daily hygiene practices.

Today we reflect on our role in acknowledging and preventing elder abuse in the community!

If you or anyone you know is experiencing a form of violence, please contact:
Police Emergency – 000 (24/7)
1800Respect – 1800 737 732 (24/7)
Seniors Rights Victoria – 1300 368 821 (10am – 5pm Mon – Fri)
PRONIA – 03 9388 9998 (9am – 5pm Mon – Fri)