According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, one in every 10 elders will experience some form of abuse in their lifetimes. Only one in every 24 cases is reported.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s Senior Services Adult Protective Services (APS) team hosted an Elder Abuse Awareness Walk on June 26 at Friendship Park near Two Waters, to bring awareness to this reality that our elders and families face.

According to APS investigator Avarae John, who oversees APS, the program investigates allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation concerning adults with adaptive needs and seniors age 55 and older.

“The numbers are concerning, but with everyone’s help, we can learn to recognize and report elder abuse to ensure the well-being of our community’s elders and vulnerable adults,” said John.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is designated as June 15 every year. This year’s theme is “Be the One”—a powerful reminder that there are actions you can take to stop abuse when you see it.

“When our community is educated in how to recognize signs of abuse, you can ‘Be the One’ to give a voice to help our most vulnerable,” said John.

The goal of the event, according to John, was simply to get the word out to the Community about how to get in touch with the APS team. Informational pamphlets were available to participants who wanted to know more about the program and how to be aware of potential elder abuse. 

“We’ve been trying to get the word out on reporting elder abuse—what it looks like, what self-neglect looks like. [Self-neglect] is our most common referral at APS,” said John. Self-neglect “can look like missed appointments, not taking their medication consistently, poor hygiene, etc.”

For the morning event, Senior Services provided walking sticks, visors, healthy food and plenty of water for the walk’s participants, who headed south down Longmore Road to Oak Street and then back up to Friendship Park.

For more information about what to look for regarding elder abuse, reach out to APS via email at adultprotectiveservices@srpmic-nsn.gov.