Article Index
June 15 is
World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day!
WEAAD is marked each year on June 15. It is an official United Nations International Day acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.
Since 2006, communities throughout the country and around the world have honoured this day to raise the visibility of elder abuse by organizing events to share information and promote resources and services that can help increase seniors’ safety and well-being. Elder Abuse networks and other organizations are planning multiple WEAAD activities across the country to mobilize community action and engage people in discussions on how to promote dignity and respect of older adults.
Let's honour this landmark and continue raising public awareness of elder abuse with events across the country! Share your events, pictures and with us on Twitter and Facebook!
Looking for materials to share before or during your event?
Check out these Provincial/Territorial organizations' sites for tips, posters, postcards and other materials:
- Alberta: The Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council shares a WEAAD toolkit every year.
Find it at https://www.albertaelderabuse.ca/weaad - British Columbia: BC Association of Community Response Networks coordinates many events across the province of British Columbia. To learn more about their WEAAD plans each year, visit https://bccrns.ca/
- Manitoba:
Proclamation templates, events, stickers and logos, you can find all of this and more on the WEAAD Manitoba website: https://weaadmanitoba.ca/ - Northwest Territories: Head to NWT Seniors Society for information about WEAAD and Seniors Citizen Month
- Ontario: Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario is part of a joint campaign with CNPEA and other partners every year. You can find updates at https://eapon.ca/weaad/
- U.S.: Check out NCEA's logos, fact sheets, social media banners and customizable templates at National Center on Elder Abuse - WEAAD Tools and Tips
Do you have WEAAD-ready resources you want to share? Let us know about them!
WEAAD TIPS
Join the Movement – Get Involved!
We encourage everyone to get involved and to raise awareness about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
A wide variety of events and activities can be planned by organizations and individuals alike. Here are a few examples of what you can do:
Host:
- A public awareness event geared toward seniors.
- A community walk
- A High Tea
- A purple dinner
- A flash mob event
- A conference or training, focused on elder abuse awareness and available community resources.
- A public awareness activity that includes politicians, seniors, local programs, survivors of abuse, and others
Communicate:
- Send out a press release, hold a press conference, or submit an editorial to discuss elder abuse awareness and prevention efforts.
- Develop a PSA on elder abuse with a local TV or radio station.
- Ask local leaders, the Mayor, MP, MPP to release a Proclamation declaring June 15 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
- Create a poster on elder abuse or use a poster created by a local elder abuse prevention organization.
- Harness the power of social media to raise WEAAD’s profile and broadcast news of various events. Join our yearly social media campaign and share our content.
Educate:
- Yourself and others about elder abuse
- Use graphics -on your website, blog, or in your email signature block- to draw awareness to elder abuse and prevention efforts
WEAAD 2024:
Be bOld - Age With Atttude!
Every year, on June 15th, we all join forces to remind the world that older people are rights holders, who deserve to live free from ageism, abuse and neglect.
Like previous years, CNPEA, Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, CanAge and many provincial partners, are inviting Canadians of all ages to become a champion of elder abuse prevention and to stand up for the rights of older people. This year, we challenge you all to be bOld and to Age With Attitude!
Ageism (how we think, feel and act towards people based strictly on their age) may lead you to you think that getting older is nothing but a process of loss, and that older people are a burden, when nothing is further from the truth. Age discrimination is what we should be worried about, not aging.
By letting ageism dictate our ways of thinking, policies and programs, we are missing out on endless talent, experience, creativity and economic participation that people can offer as they age. Mindset matters to build a society where older people are truly valued, supported and live free from ageism, abuse and neglect.
We encourage you to support our campaign on social media by using the hashtags #bOld and #WEAAD2024, and to think of actions you can take to contribute to elder abuse prevention in your community and to promote the voices of older people.
JOIN US FOR OUR NATIONAL ONLINE EVENT
ON JUNE 12, 2024!
Like every year, we will be bringing together experts and community members to discuss what we can all do to ensure older Canadians are safe from abuse and neglect.Our 2024 panel of speakers will be announced closer to the date. Stay tuned!
REGISTER TODAY
WEAAD RESOURCES
EAPO and CNPEA have developed a suite of materials to help you participate in WEAAD 2024 and support the Age With Attitude campaign:
- WEAAD Social Media Guide: The guide includes tips on using social media, and sample posts you can use (just cut and paste!).
- Visual assets that you can share on social media.
- A bundle of WEAAD logos in different formats
- and more!
Find it all and download what you need right here
WEAAD 2023:
Rights Don’t Get Old
Every year, on June 15th, we all join forces to remind the world that rights don’t get old.
Like previous years, CNPEA and partners CanAge, EAPO and BC CRN are inviting Canadians of all ages to become a champion of elder abuse prevention and to stand up for the rights of older people. We are bringing back our RIghts Don't Get Old campaign for the third year in a row. We encourage you to support #RightsDoNotGetOld on social media and to think of actions you can take to contribute to elder abuse prevention in your community.
JOIN US FOR OUR NATIONAL ONLINE EVENT ON JUNE 15!
Like every year, we will be bringing together experts on aging and elder abuse and community members to discuss what we can all do to ensure older Canadians are safe from abuse and neglect. Our 2023 panel of speakers will be announced closer to the date.
In case you missed it, you can watch the 2022 WEAAD panel here.
REGISTER NOW
WEAAD Materials
If you are planning to host an event, design some materials, or simply support our campaign on social media, we have created some logos and assets that you can use. You can download WEAAD logos here. We will be adding more social media assets in weeks to come.
STAY IN THE LOOP
Don't miss a single announcement about WEAAD, sign up for CNPEA's updates and for the WEAAD newsletter.
TAKE ACTION
We all have a role to play to help prevent elder abuse and make our communities safe for all ages.
All Canadians can:
- Work with their community to make elder abuse a top priority
- Learn to recognize signs of elder abuse
- Know how to respond and refer seniors for help
All organizational leaders should:
- Include ageism prevention in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion practices
All elected officials and policy makers should:
- Make their community age-friendly
- Invest in elder abuse prevention
These recommended actions are from CNPEA's community engagement strategy Future Us: A Roadmap to Elder Abuse Prevention. Check it out here to learn more about promising approaches, and ways that you can participate in the journey toward elder abuse prevention.
WEAAD 2022:
Rights Don’t Get Old
Every year, on June 15th, we all join forces to remind the world that rights don’t get old.
This World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), we’re inviting Canadians of all ages to become a champion of elder abuse prevention by pledging to stand up for the rights of older people. Our 2022 WEAAD campaign is focused on key actions you can take to prevent elder abuse in your community.
All Canadians can:
- Work with their community to make elder abuse a top priority
- Learn to recognize signs of elder abuse
- Know how to respond to elder abuse and refer seniors for help
All organizational leaders should:
- Include ageism prevention in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion practices
All elected officials and policy makers should:
- Make their community age-friendly
- Invest in elder abuse prevention
These recommended actions are from CNPEA's community engagement strategy Future Us: A Roadmap to Elder Abuse Prevention, which launched on March 24, 2022.
Together with our WEAAD partners CanAge, EAPO and BC CRN, we encourage you to ‘Take the Pledge’ on WEAAD.ca in the coming weeks. You can also downloads pledge cards and WEAAD logos from the same website. Share them freely online and with your contacts!
Join us for our flagship online event on June 15th.Sign up for our WEAAD newsletter to stay in the loop!
WEAAD 2021:
Rights Don’t Get Old
The basic human rights of older Canadians are challenged and undercut every day and, tragically, this has never been more true than over the last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s estimated that 7 to 10% of older Canadians are victims of elder abuse. 1 in 6 seniors globally.
We cannot allow this to continue.
This WEAAD, CNPEA, EAPO and CanAge are teaming up to create a national conversation around elder abuse prevention and what each of us can do to uphold and protect the rights of seniors in your community. Throughout the campaign, we’ll be sharing compelling statistics and useful resources, igniting a national conversation and shining a light on the need to create a coordinated pan-Canadian approach to elder abuse prevention.
There are a few easy ways you can participate in WEAAD and join the movement:
1. Register for our free online event
Our June 15 webinar, entitled ‘Aging with Rights: Ending Elder Abuse in Canada’, is the main event of WEAAD 2021. It’s a not-to-be-missed interactive national event that brings together a panel of experts, political figures, advocates and concerned people like you to engage in an inspiring discussion about how we, as a country, can fight elder abuse and protect the rights of older people.
Make sure you secure your seat quickly, as space is limited (and share widely with your networks!).
REGISTER HERE
2. Visit the website
CanAge, EAPO and CNPEA have launched a dedicated website at www.WEAAD.ca. This page will serve as the central hub of our campaign, and will contain everything you need to get informed and get engaged:
- Registration link for our webinar
- Social media messages you can share to speak out on the rights of older Canadians
- Downloadable posters and social media cards
3. Speak out
CNPEA and EAPO have developed a WEAAD Social Media Guide to help you promote #WEAAD2021 on social media. The Guide includes tips on using social media, and sample posts you can use (just cut and paste!). We have also developed some visual assets that you can share on socia media.
Download the WEAAD social media cards bundle - ENGLISH (9MB zip)
WEAAD 2021 Logos
Square format - Download here
Banner with hashtags - Download here
Banner no hashtags - Download here
We can't wait to see your posts! Remember to use #RightsDoNotGetOld and #WEAAD2021 in all of them.
WEAAD celebrates its 15th anniversary!
CNPEA and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario invite you to join us as we mark this milestone day. This year's theme is
Uproot Elder Abuse, Plant a Seed for Change
inspired by WEAAD founder Elizabeth Podnieks.
Since WEAAD’s inception, communities across the globe have used the day to raise the visibility of elder abuse by sharing information and promoting resources and services that increase seniors’ safety and well-being.
The current pandemic may have disrupted our way of life and altered WEAAD plans, but here’s something we can all do safely in our own homes: plant something in our gardens and on our window sills. Make it a neighbourhood planting ceremony, or a family activity, by using a video call or hosting a Zoom gardening session! Trees and plants have a healing quality that positively affect us, our communities, and our world.
On June 15, join us on social media to share our campaign #UprootAbuse and your gardening pictures/videos with us. A safe, fun, and intergenerational activity to engage in together to help plant the seed for change!
We also chose to plant trees and seedlings this year to symbolize the connection between older adults and the planet we all dwell on. Environmental crises are directly connected to increased vulnerability and to the violation of older people’s human rights. In times of disasters, older adults are often among the most vulnerable populations, facing ageist attitudes and policies, and a lack of access to suitable resources and services.
On June 15, 2020, let’s recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day with renewed conviction and energy, to uproot elder abuse and plant a seed for change.
HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE
We need you to spread the word. In the next few weeks, and particularly on June 15, EAPO and CNPEA will post messages on our respective social media channels.
You can support us by
- Sharing/retweeting EAO's and CNPEA's updates and tweets.
- Telling your contacts and followers why you support the campaign #UprootElderAbuse and invite them to support it too.
- On June 15, plant a seedling or a flower, take a photo/video and post it to social media (tag CNPEA and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario so we can see them and share them), use the hashtag #UprootElderAbuse. You can also write a message to express your commitment to bring about change for the care, support, and well-being of older adults. Individual actions matter, how will you contribute to uproot elder abuse?
- Tag friends, families and colleagues, get them in on the action!
New to online WEAAD events? To make your life easier, we created:
- a social media sheet. It contains tips to support this campaign, as well as message templates that you can simply copy and paste. Just remember to use the hashtags #UprootElderAbuse and #WEAAD2020.
- social media cards: visuals that you can download and share
- A set of logos in various formats.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT
Check out our 2020 Social Media Tip Sheet to help you craft your messages and join the #UprootElderAbuse campaign.
WEAAD 2020 LOGOS
Email Header (jpeg)
For Facebook (jpeg)
For Twitter (jpeg)
For LinkedIn (jpeg)
SOCIAL MEDIA CARDS
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN - #AgeofInclusion
This year, CNPEA and Elder Abuse Ontario have joined forces for a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day social campaign. With your help, we hope to shine a light on social inclusion, as a tool to keep us safe from abuse as we age.
Throughout the next month, until World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15), CNPEA and EAO will lead a social media campaign called #AgeofInclusion.
Why focus on social inclusion?
- Because being socially isolated is a common affliction among older adults. More than 30% of Canadian seniors are at risk of becoming socially isolated.
- Because isolation and loneliness are as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day
- Because social isolation can put seniors at increased risk for elder abuse
- Because each of us can play a meaningful role in helping include older adults in all aspects of life and contribute to preventing elder abuse.
How can I help?
We need you to spread the word. In the next few weeks, and particularly on June 15, EAO and CNPEA will post messages on our respective social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). We will share information, resources, inspiration, and tips about social inclusion and its benefits when it comes to older adults' health, well-being, and elder abuse prevention.
You can support us by
- Sharing/retweeting EAO's and CNPEA's updates and tweets.
- Telling your contacts and followers why you support the campaign #AgeofInclusion, why it matters and why they should too.
To make your life easier, we created the factsheet "Using social media to promote WEAAD 2019". It contains tips to support this campaign, as well as message templates that you can simply copy and paste. Just remember to use the hashtags #AgeofInclusion and #WEAAD2019.
We have also created a set of bilingual images, posters, and logos (see below). We invite you to use them and share them with your contacts.
On June 15, we hope you will join us in marking World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and telling the world about #AgeofInclusion
WEAAD 2019 Logo
Web optimized
Social Media Banners
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AGE OF INCLUSION POSTERS
SOCIAL MEDIA FACTSHEET
