World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is June 15th, 2023.
1 senior abused is 1 too many.
Unfortunately, when it comes to showing just how urgent a problem elder abuse is, the numbers don’t lie:
- 1 in 2 people are prejudiced against older people (Global Report on Ageism, World Health Organization)
- In Canada, a 2015 study estimated that 7.5% of Canadians 55 and older experienced abuse (Into the Light National Survey on the Mistreatment of Older Canadians, National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly, 2015)
- Women aged 55-64 years comprised the largest proportion of victims of femicide (19%) (Call it Femicide Report, Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, 2020)
- In Ontario, there was a 250% increase in calls to the Seniors Safety Line in 2020 (Assaulted Women’s Help Line, 2021)
The basic human rights of older Canadians are being challenged and undercut every day. It is estimated that 1 in 6 seniors globally experience elder abuse. We, as a country, cannot allow this to continue. BC CRN’s 80+ community response networks (CRNs) are currently planning activities and events geared towards spreading awareness around the province in anticipation of WEAAD.
View the Province of BC’s Proclamation of WEAAD on June 15, 2023.
Some of the planned activities include:
- Meal deliveries to isolated seniors
- Purple light displays (Canada Place, community halls, etc.) and the flying of purple flags
- Car parades, drive up events, and mini outdoor concerts
- Safety checks on mobility equipment
- Mass distribution of education and awareness resource items
- Online contests, games, and entertainment
- Photo contests
- Bench and plaque installations
- Virtual lunch & learns, wellness sessions, and information webinars
- Program presentations (including See Something, Say Something! Reducing Risk for Older Adults and It’s Not Right! Neighbours, Friends & Families for Older Adults presentations)
Join us by getting involved in prevention activities and celebrating older adults as active, vibrant members of the community. Below you find a variety of suggestions and resources for helping CRN’s promote WEAAD in their communities. Please select the hyperlinks to download the materials of your choosing (and feel free to edit any documents to best suit your needs).
How to get involved:
- Wear purple (BC CRN’s hallmark colour for WEAAD) on June 15th to show your support.
- Download and utilize any of the social media and zoom image templates below to show your support:
- Showcase the purple iris flower (BC CRN’s official symbol for WEAAD) as a representation of hope, wisdom, courage, faith, and admiration.
- Download BC CRN’s press release template, and work with your organization to finalize it and send it to local news agencies or media outlets to create awareness surrounding your activity or event.
- Order free materials and resources to distribute within your community (order deadline: May 15, 2023).
- Encourage your local community to fly the purple WEAAD flag and either turn on or shine purple lights on public buildings.
- Download BC CRN’s proclamation letter templates to make a formal statement about the importance of WEAAD in your community (give yourself a month to work through the process).
- Post photos of your community’s WEAAD events and activities on social media using the hashtags #BCCRNWEAAD2023 #WEAAD2023 (be sure to tag @BCCRNS on your Facebook and Twitter posts)
- Utilize BC CRN’s consent form for any photos and stories you would like the Association to share in upcoming newsletters or social media campaigns.
Should you have any questions or comments, please email us any time for support.
