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Age Concern sticks up for the oldies with elder abuse awareness campaign

It's World Elder Abuse Awareness Day tomorrow. And, to get more people thinking about the issue and donating to the cause, Age Concern New Zealand is taking to TV for the first time with a campaign by First Star called 'Always Respected, Never Abused'. 

It is estimated that two older people every hour are abused psychologically, financially or physically. Age Concern's Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention teams work closely with older people and their families to resolve issues of abuse and ensure it does not reoccur. They are also in communities working to educate people about the signs and effects of elder abuse with the aim to prevent it from happening.

Elder abuse can be financial and material, psychological, physical, or neglect (a story in the Herald today showed another apparent example of that). And Age Concern spokesperson Louise Collins told TVNZ that "some people think that because someone is old it doesn't matter what happens to them anymore or they don't need money to spend". 

The growing number of cases of abuse is putting Age Concern's services under strain, with more than 1600 referrals each year around the country. 

"That is an average of six calls per day about older people suspected of being abused or neglected," she said. "In over half of these cases, abuse or neglect is confirmed. We know that's just the tip of the iceberg. But it doesn't have to be this way. The more people understand about elder abuse and what they can do to stop it, the better." 

Local Age Concerns are holding a variety of activities and events in cities and towns throughout New Zealand s part of the campaign. Look out for the purple-themed campaign and click here to see what is happening near you.

Credits

Client: Robbie Ross, Age Concern

Agency: First Star Communications

Creative: Adam Blackwell

Account Director: Adam Blackwell

Director: Jason Stutter

Editor and Post Production: Grant Williams

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