Council on Aging of Etowah County to host 16th Elder Abuse Summit

It is estimated that 1 in 10 elders across the United States are victims of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation. However, experts say this number is greatly underreported, with as few as 1 in 14 elder abuse cases actually being reported to the authorities.

In conjunction with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, The Council on Aging of Etowah County will host the 16th annual Elder Abuse Summit on June 15 at the Downtown Civic Center.

The summit will be a free event for residents 55 and older or disabled residents 50 and older. Lunch will be provided courtesy of a grant from the Investor Protection Trust. It will begin at 9 a.m. and go through 12:30 p.m.

The event this year features a keynote speech from Nick Vonderau of the Alabama Securities Commission that discusses warning signs of elder abuse and how it can be prevented.

The council’s executive director, Jenifer Grace, said last year that "[The event] aims to allow community members to learn the protocol if they are being abused financially, physically or mentally. It gives them that information, and each year is different information because things change so much.”

This year's summit theme is "Stir a Cup to Stand Up Against Elder Abuse," with goals to help prevent elder abuse by providing educational programs to families, working with community centers to build a strong sense of intergenerational community, increasing transportation to reduce the feeling of isolation and coordinating teams and agencies to better work with elders.

"By doing all that we can to strengthen the social support structure, we can reduce social isolation, protect communities and families against elder abuse and build a nation that lives up to our promise of justice for all," Grace said.

Those who are unable to attend the event are encouraged to wear purple and post on social media alongside with a tea or coffee cup and the hashtag #WEAAD. Those who tag The Council on Aging will be entered in a special door prize drawing that will be held at the summit.

To attend the event, you must RSVP in advance. Call 256-543-3616. To learn more about elder abuse in the United States, visit the National Council on Aging website, www.ncoa.org.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: 16th Elder Abuse Summit to be held June 15