What You Can Do
Things You Can Do To Prevent Elder Abuse
- Visit an older adult and ask how he or she is doing
- Learn the signs of elder abuse and neglect
- Provide a break for a caregiver
- Ask your religious congregation’s leader to give a talk about elder abuse at a service or to put a message about elder abuse in the bulletin
- Volunteer to be a friendly visitor to a nursing home resident or to a homebound senior in your neighborhood.
- Send a letter to your local paper, radio or TV station suggesting that they cover issues and events honoring elders and people with disabilities
- Dedicate your bikeathon/marathon/other event to elder mistreatment awareness and prevention
Things Kids Can Do To Prevent Elder Abuse
- Visit your older relatives
- Ask your teacher to celebrate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15 by going over the signs of elder abuse
- Volunteer at a nursing home
- Facebook/Tweet about elder abuse and funding the Elder Justice Act
- Join or create a youth service club
- Organize a walk-a-thon
Things Organizations Can Do To Prevent Elder Abuse
- Train staff about signs of elder abuse and neglect, and how to report suspected mistreatment to the local APS agency, Long-Term Care Ombudsman or law enforcement.
- Healthcare clinicians can pledge to ask all patients about possible family violence in their lives.
- Homecare agencies and residential care facilities can create strategies to support staff members, consumers and family members in abuse recognition, response and prevention.
- Financial institutions can train banking/credit union professionals on how to detect elder financial abuse.
- Print handouts, placemats or reusable grocery bags with information about elder abuse prevention, and distribute them throughout the community
