It is hard to fathom that approximately 1 in 10 older adults experience physical, emotional, sexual, financial, and spiritual abuse. And yet, elder abuse is an issue that often goes unnoticed and unaddressed.  Please join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, May 10th at 3:00 PM for a workshop highlighting what our communities should know about — and how we might respond to — this important issue.  Presented by Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse, this conversation will help participants strengthen their understanding of elder abuse and explore ways to work together to prevent abuse from occurring in our communities.

While the workshop will look broadly at responding to elder abuse at the local level, Safe Havens notes that approximately 86% of older adults are faith-affiliated.  Research suggests that, when faced with abuse, older adults would turn first to their faith leaders for help.  With that in mind, the speakers will focus in part on the importance of faith in the lives of older adults and the ways in which community members might use these insights to offer effective support to people who might be experiencing abuse now or vulnerable to abuse in the future.

We encourage our whole community to join us as Safe Havens provides an overview of this issue, including an exploration of the intersection of elder abuse and faith.  Regardless of whether you yourself are a member of a faith community, we hope that you will come to learn more about what we all can do to create a safer, healthier community for everyone.  To receive a Zoom link to this program, please register at https://tinyurl.com/DVRTMayMeeting.