Community
7 June, 2024
Morning tea to mark Elder Abuse Awareness Day
CORANGAMITE Shire Council’s Positive Ageing and Inclusion team is inviting residents to a free morning tea with talks from two guest speakers next Friday.
Mayor Kate Makin said World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was on 15 June every year.
“It is an opportunity for communities to stand together against the abuse, mistreatment and neglect of older people,” she said.
“Sadly, elder abuse is more common than we might think with 160,000 cases in Victoria each year.
“It can be financial, emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, social abuse or a combination.”
Cr Makin said elder abuse is often perpetrated in secret by family members, relatives or friends.
“It affects people of all genders and all walks of life but two-thirds of Victorians who seek help are women,” she said.
“Older people in rural and regional communities are additionally vulnerable.”
From 10.30am to 12.30pm, on Friday June 14 at the Killara Centre in Camperdown, residents are invited to enjoy a morning tea while learning ways to reduce elder abuse within the community.
The morning tea, will include two presentations.
The first will be on scams and cyber safety, presented by NBN community engagement specialist south western Victoria Janeen Stewart.
Ms Stewart will give handy and easy to understand tips to stay safe in the technology space, to minimise the risk of being caught out by scammers.
“With the growth of online technology, having confidence to embrace the changes is important,” she said.
“Digital literacy—in other words, knowing how to maximise the online world to suit your needs and lifestyle—is important.”
The second presentation will talk about future planning with Justice Connect legal education project officer Deb Porter.
Justice Connect is a community legal centre which designs and delivers high impact interventions to increase access to legal support and progress social justice.
Ms Porter said legal need among older people was rising issue across the community.
“The National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study found 14.8 per cent of people over 65 experience elder abuse,” she said.
“At Justice Connect, one way we work to reduce the rates of elder abuse is through early prevention and planning.
“Planning ahead for older age can be hard, but it is an important and empowering process.
“Join us to learn about Justice Connect's free Conversation Guide, to help you plan for an older age that's right for you.”
Ms Porter said workshops provided by Justice Connect can help residents make plans about who they trust to make decisions on their behalf, who they trust to take care of their money, what medical treatments they want or don’t want, and there they would like to live.
Residents are invited to book a seat by calling council on 5593 7100.
If you are experiencing elder abuse and want to know what options are available, contact:
Seniors Rights Victoria on 1300 368 821, or visit https://seniorsrights.org.au/
Australian Human Rights Commission on 1800 ELDERHelp (1800 353 374)
If it is an emergency, call 000.