June 15, 2015
Riverside County
NEWS RELEASE
DPSS Adult Services organizes community outreach
Riverside- Riverside County Department of Public Social Services has joined organizations across the globe in recognizing today as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). WEAAD is an opportunity for you or your organization to take action to protect seniors by raising awareness about elder abuse.
Every year an estimated 5 million or 1 in 10, older Americans becomes a victim of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation. And experts believe that for every reported case of elder abuse or neglect as many as 23 cases go unreported. Riverside County DPSS Adult Protective Services regularly provides prevention education to seniors, and training to those interested on how to recognize and report elder abuse. “This has to be a collaborative effort, not just an APS issue to address the complex problems of elder abuse,” said Lisa Shiner, DPSS Assistant Director of Adult Services.
The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations (UN) launched the first World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, 2006, to unite communities around the world in raising awareness about elder abuse. WEAAD is in support of the UN’s International Plan of Action acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.
Get involved, learn the warning signs and report elder abuse when you see it!
24 Hour Adult Protective Services Hotline: 800.491.7123
For more information:
http://www.ncea.aoa.gov/Resources/Publication/docs/NCEA_12things_508.pdf
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