Moorabool seniors gathered at Bacchus Marsh Public Hall on Thursday for an interactive chat about elders’ rights and potential abuse.
The session was organised to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Elder abuse is any act which causes harm to an older person and is carried out by someone they know and trust, such as a family member or friend. The abuse may be financial, emotional, psychological, physical, social or sexual and can include mistreatment and neglect.
Western Health’s Peter Randall was the guest speaker at the event.
Moorabool council said events such as the interactive chat are important because council is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of elder abuse in the community.
“We promote information on support services, distribute elder abuse resource information and deliver elder abuse education activities,” the council said,
Council’s session followed the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day keynote address on Wednesday at the State Library, during which Safe + Equal chair Maria Dimopoulos spoke about ways to address ageism in the workplace and how services can be more inclusive of older people in their responses to family violence.
