June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month

June 15, 2021 - Last year, Adult Protective Services (APS) investigated the circumstances of 86,582 people who were 65 or older or had disabilities, and found that 73,539 of those suffered one or more forms of abuse, neglect or, financial exploitation.

APS works tirelessly to help eliminate elder abuse and neglect year-round, but June is dedicated to increasing awareness about how we can prevent it from happening in our community. Elder abuse is everyone’s business. We can all help protect the growing elder populations from abuse and neglect, including self-neglect.

Join us by wearing purple for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15. When someone asks you about your outfit, start a conversation about elder abuse. It's more common than you think, yet rarely discussed. We also hope to have a coordinated day of service across the state to assist with yard work or take part in Caring by Calling for APS clients. It is important to make our elder population feel heard and cared about.

Learn how to recognize adult abuse at Everyonesbusiness.org and how to report adult abuse on our website. By law, Texas requires anyone who suspects adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation to report it to the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or online at TxAbuseHotline.org. Callers can remain anonymous.

Visit Awareness Resources online.