“1,211 elders self-reported some kind of elder abuse to our hotline last year,” said Leisa Wiseman, director of External and Internal Affairs for the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Florida’s leading not-for-profit, anti-domestic violence organization. “We also provided 107 elders with emergency shelter in one of our certified domestic violence centers.”
Elder abuse—whether in the form of physical or emotional abuse, neglect, financial exploitation or any other form of maltreatment—is a serious problem, one that often goes overlooked and unpunished.
On June 15, the fifth annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was celebrated in North America, South America, Asia, Europe and Australia, with events occurring in each continent and its supporters adorning the awareness day’s symbolic color, purple.
In Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist issued a proclamation recognizing the day. Florida has the largest concentration of residents aged 60 and older of any state in the nation, with one elder out of every four residents.
“Sometimes, people think the prevalence of elder abuse is in institutions and similar types of facilities, but many times what we realize is the abuse is happening at home, from the people they love and trust,” Wiseman said.
According to the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, only three percent of elder abuse perpetrators are service providers, while 93 percent are related to the victim.
A press conference led by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, the Florida Department of Children and Families and FCADV, kicked off the week-long recognition of elder abuse in Tallahassee.
“Domestic violence knows no age limit and many times goes unreported,” said Tiffany Carr, president and CEO of the FCADV, in a press release. “It’s estimated that, for each reported case of elder abuse, at least five more are not reported, leaving many without services, support and safety. Awareness and support are vital to the safety and wellbeing of our elders; that’s why World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is so important. Abusers hide behind a veil of secrecy, and awareness brings down that curtain. Together, we can make a difference.”
In the last state fiscal year, the Department of Children and Families received 41,019 reports of abuse of a senior.
Events for the awareness day on June 15 began with several showings of the documentary film, An Age for Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America, at the Tallahassee Senior Center. Similar events were held around the state. Jon Peck, communications director for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, said the amount of purple-clad participants on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was very encouraging.
“The hardest thing for people to acknowledge is that elder abuse exists in the first place,” Peck said. “It’s easier to just ignore it or think that silly old person doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but that’s not always the case. It’s a very serious issue that has tremendous consequences for people who’ve spent an entire lifetime building and contributing to society.”