Campaign an in-your-face look at senior abuse

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

The provincial government’s dedication to Nova Scotia seniors was reaffirmed when the Seniors’ Secretariat unveiled a campaign targeting senior abuse awareness.

An event at the Berwick Legion was one of three across the province June 15 to introduce a new tollfree helpline for seniors.

After reading a proclamation recognizing Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Berwick Mayor John Prall joined Heather Praught of the Senior Secretariat in introducing the posters and brochures designed to raise awareness of elder abuse. In Nova Scotia, it is estimated between 5,000 and 13,000 seniors experience abuse, which can affect their physical, mental, emotional or financial well-being.

The materials unveiled June 15 included a series of posters and brochures, printed in both official languages, as well as the telephone support line. “This is just the beginning of the work we hope to accomplish in the province to make our communities aware of the issue of senior abuse and work toward the prevention and elimination of this very real social problem,” remarked Praught. “With the launch of this new campaign, we have take the first steps toward this goal.”

The posters and brochures feature close-ups of seniors and challenge the viewer to make eye contact with a person who may be experiencing abuse. “The posters put a face on the issue - it is no longer anonymous. We are looking the person in the eye and coming face to face with the problem,” explained Praught.

The Seniors’ Secretariat recently awarded funding to seven province-wide projects that focus on developing a local senior abuse network. “Service providers, seniors groups and interested community members like those in the Annapolis Valley have started to come together to identify senior abuse issues in your communities and to discuss ideas for addressing those issues,” said Praught.

Seniors, or people who are concerned about incidents of elder abuse, can call 1-877-833-3377 for information or to talk about a situation of abuse. All calls are confidential.