Elder Abuse continues to be a pressing worldwide issue that even impacts seniors in Cochrane.

June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), and many of the partners here in Cochrane involved in addressing the wide range of issues associated with those two words were on hand for the fifth planting of a lilac tree in as many years.

The tree was planted by the FCSS office, 209 2 Avenue W. Its purple flower is the colour associated with elder abuse.

Mayor Jeff Genung and town councillor Susan Flowers did the honours; Genung with his own spade, Flowers with the official town shovel. Genung said it was more appropriate for Flowers to use the official shovel because the seeds to establish a response to elder abuse were planted when she was FCSS director.

Shockingly. research indicates one in 10 seniors are victims of abuse.

Through Cochrane's Community-Led Elder Abuse Response (CLEAR), an extensive community-wide support network has been established to assist those impacted. It's an issue that can affect all walks of life in countless ways, including financial, sexual, psychological, and neglect.

Flowers says CLEAR is well-established and the word continues to spread to those who need help.

"There's a real table of workers who work with seniors and look at cases as they come in. They're more well-known now, so they can get right at it and make a difference. They work together, and look for solutions."

"Some of these cases are very complex with financial abuse, verbal abuse, sometimes physical abuse, so it's very touchy, and you need to get the right services at the right time."

She says there is a greater awareness of the resources available here and the problem in general.

"If we don't talk about it, then it's easy to sweep it under the carpet and not do anything about it, so I think just keeping it in the forefront of people's minds they begin to recognize it quicker and report it quicker, just knowing that there's help out there."

Among the others participating in the ceremony were Susan Morgan, Bethany Cochrane and WEADD chair, Hillary Cornelius Stormon, community liaison and programmer-Older Adults, and Debra Demars, geriatric mental health outreach nurse.

In the past, Cochrane has held workshops, luncheons, and a piper-led walk through the Historic Downtown to mark WEAAD. The pandemic has not made that possible for the last two years.

Flowers says they are anticipating a return to a full day of activities that will be bigger and better.

Previously, trees were planted by the community cenotaph, Cochrane Public Library, Frank Wills Memorial Hall, and Bethany Cochrane.

WEADD was established in 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.

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