Elder Abuse Bytes E-Newsletter - WEAAD 2018

Published: Tue, 07/03/18

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2018: A Great Success

At the NCEA we witnessed a tremendous showing of support for WEAAD 2018. We were so proud to promote a wide variety of commemorative events across the globe. We heard from people of all ages pledging their support, conducting presentations, encouraging others to wear purple shirts or pins, hosting luncheons, and so many creative activities. We even accomplished our goal of turning the map of the United States purple!

Check out all the events at: eldermistreatment.usc.edu/weaad-home/events/

Here is a snapshot of this year's events

Worldwide, there were over 300 events including 13 countries participating: Dominica, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Nepal, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand. Every state in the US had at least one event. Wisconsin submitted the most events this year followed by California in 2nd and Delaware and Florida tied for 3rd. Our grattitude goes out to the 260 organizations who submitted their events. They are a powerful reminder that Elder Abuse is a global problem and we're all working around the world to raise awareness.

Successful Engagement and Awareness on Social Media

204 followers from 3 countries and 115 cities pledged their support and commitment to post a one-time message for action and prevention through our Thunderclap. 800K people were reached. Facebook Frames were also a huge success, many of our followers changed their profile pictures to reflect the WEAAD logo.

We received real-time updates from people connecting via our chat support feature, email, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and received an overwhelmingly positive response from followers who were returning to our resource pages for the latest field resources, educational tools, tips, and guides.

WEAAD Art Gallery

31 submissions to the Elder Justice Roadmap Steering Committee’s WEAAD Art Gallery were showcased, promoting a variety of the initiative’s themes of community, empowerment, respect and happiness.

Commmemorative Events

The NCEA team presented locally at the North Orange County Senior Collaborative and the Orange County Aging Services Collaborative's Empowering the Community event in Buena Park, California.

Want to see more? Scroll through the collection of photos that were shared with the Administration for Community Living here from events around the globe!

In Case You Missed It

Have you had the opportunity to browse through our WEAAD blog series? In case you missed, here is our collection of pieces submitted by some exceptional researchers, practitioners, and support professionals throughout the course of our WEAAD campaign:

Making a Difference: Elder Abuse Networks by Georgia J. Anetzberger, PhD, ACSW
Shining Light on the Needs of Family, Friends, and Neighbors Assisting Elder Abuse Victims by Risa Breckman, LCSW and Laurell Haapanen, MA
Southern California Kaiser Permanente Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Prevention Program by Anthony C. Hou, MD
#CountMeToo: Elder Sexual Assault by Lori Mars, JD
You’ve Worked Hard for the Money — Now protect it! By Julie Schoen, JD and Eden Ruiz-Lopez

Reframing Aging

In an ongoing effort to facilitate strategies to communicate more effectively about aging as a social policy issue, FrameWorks Institute has introduced a free video lecture series, which can be accessed by registering here. Please use this special coupon code: WEAAD2018 for 100% discount (Expires June 15, 2019).

Elder Justice Coordinating Council Testimony

At the June 5^th Elder Justice Coordinating Committee (EJCC) meeting, NCEA Director, Laura Mosqueda, MD (center) provided in-depth testimony on the intersection of the opioid crisis and elder abuse, alongside Robert B. Blancato (left), National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition and William F. Benson (right), National Policy Advisor, of the National Adult Protective Services Association. Watch the full video of the meeting: here

WEAAD Collaborative Webinar

On June 13^th, the NCEA, joined the Social Security Administration, Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Community Living, and Department of Justice to discuss how their organizations are continuously helping to build strong support for older people. If you would like to view this archived event and hear more about the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act, federally funded data collection efforts, and the latest trends and relevant resources in the field, you can review here.

In Closing

The events we have shared represent the culmination of not only a day, but an entire movement dedicated to the improvement of our world. From community collaborations, to engaging people of all ages, and exchanging stories and anecdotes, we know that we are all making a difference. Remember to turn to Karen Stein, PhD's logic model if you find value in evaluating the impact of your awareness day.Onward!