Unison at Kerby Centre raises awareness of elder abuse and its impacts
Ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Sunday, Unison at Kerby Centre in downtown Calgary hosted an event to bring attention to the ongoing issue.
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a day ago
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Anti-racism rally in Belfast after days of violence
Demonstrators gathered in Belfast city centre to show support for Northern Ireland's migrant community following a week of disorder. People in the crowd held signs with slogans such as "racists go home", "refugees are welcome" and "diversity makes us stronger". Violence started on Monday after a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena, County Antrim, and later spread to other areas. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said "bigots and racists" were behind the rioting. Speaking at the anti-racism rally at Belfast City Hall, Nathalie Donnelly from trade union Unison said she had colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds who were terrified and "basically hiding at home". "They get to work in taxis, come home and hide in their own houses," she told BBC News NI. "We've got a small English class every week - half of the students didn't even dare to come out for the English class." Ms Donnelly said even people who had lived in Northern Ireland for a long time had an "overwhelming sense of sadness and disgust at what is happening and are really questioning staying here". Ms Donnelly, who is originally from France, said she had "made Ireland [her] home" but she felt it was "no longer the Ireland that [she is] proud of". "We should make Ireland the island of a hundred thousand welcomes again," she said. Friday night saw a fifth night of violence when police in Portadown, County Armagh, used water cannon to tackle rioters who were attacking them. Officers were targeted with petrol bombs, fireworks, masonry, bricks and bottles. Police in Londonderry also dealt with disorder in the Tullyally area from Friday night into Saturday morning. Damage was caused to playing fields and property in Killeavey Road in Newry in County Down when a large group of people set a pitch and bins on fire. Stones were thrown at the windows of a hotel in Newtownabbey and a car was set on fire in Hesketh Gardens Belfast, which police are treating a racially motivated hate crime. At the demo at City Hall, Belfast's deputy lord mayor said he wanted to show solidarity to people who had been targeted in the unrest. Representatives of other political parties and trade unions joined Paul Doherty at the event and there was a small police presence. Doherty said the demonstration was about standing up to "racist thugs who have been on our streets intimidating and threatening families and driving them from their homes". "We're speaking to people right across this city, indeed right across the north, who are afraid to walk down the street, who are afraid to bring their children to school, who are afraid to say hello to someone as they pass them on the street," he said. Doherty added that one parent told him their children were asking: "Daddy why do people hate us out there?" "Imagine children - five, six, seven years of age - asking their parents 'why do people hate us?' That's not the type of society we want in Belfast or across the north," he said. "We need to bring a stop to this." Doherty said the police and Northern Ireland Executive "need to step up" and "a better response" was needed from the PSNI. The force has said it will do all it can to bring people to justice and on Friday it issued images of people it wants to speak to in connection with the violence. More PSNI officers were injured in Portadown on Friday night, with more than 60 physically hurt over the course of the past week. Police have made 21 arrests following disorder in various parts of Northern Ireland, with 13 charged. Four have appeared in court and been remanded in custody. Monday A peaceful protest is held in Ballymena, County Antrim, after two teenage boys appear before Coleraine Magistrates' Court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. They spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and ages. Their solicitor said they would be denying the charges. Later in the day, violence breaks out when a number of people wearing masks break away from the peaceful protest, build barricades and attack properties on Clonavon Terrace. People throw petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks at police. Tuesday Protesters attack police during another night of disorder in Ballymena. Cars are set on fire and the windows of several houses are smashed. Police also deal with sporadic incidents of disorder in Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus in County Antrim and north Belfast. Wednesday The worst of the disorder is again in Ballymena, but unrest also spreads to other towns. In Larne, County Antrim, masked youths attack a leisure centre and set it on fire. The centre had been providing emergency shelter for families. Police Scotland agrees to send officers to Northern Ireland to provide support. Thursday A fourth night of disorder, but at a lower level than seen earlier in the week. About 400 protestors gather in the centre of Portadown, County Armagh. Bricks and masonry are thrown at police. There is also a police presence in Ballymena, but the rioters stay away. Around 100 people turn up at an anti-racism protest in west Belfast, which passes off peacefully. The home of a family with three children is set on fire in Coleraine. Friday Police in Portadown use water cannon to tackle rioters but the violence is again at a lower level than earlier in the week. Police release photos of four suspects they want the public to help identify in connection with the disorder. How a peaceful protest descended into hate-filled violence Bulgarian mother of two leaving Ballymena 'to save my children' Does the PSNI have the resources needed to deal with the riots?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Lackawanna County recognizes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
SCRANTON — As part of annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Lackawanna County on Friday held an event to highlight the ways older adults increasingly experience abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, locally and beyond. The event at the county government center downtown also recognized and thanked the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging and other local organizations for their efforts to prevent elder abuse and assist victims of it. Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich, who was a director of the county's Area Agency on Aging, lauded his former department. 'These individuals that go out each and every day and make sure that older adults are protected from abuse, exploitation and neglect are really doing some amazing things,' Kavulich told a crowd of about 35 people. Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich, at podium at right, and who was a former director of the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, speaks Friday, June 13, 2025 at a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event at the Lackawanna County Government Center in Scranton. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which is recognized annually June 15, aims to raise awareness about older adults experiencing some form of mistreatment, and to have the public better understand the problem, as well as learn ways to identify, address and prevent it. Elder abuse can take many forms, including neglect, financial exploitation and emotional, sexual or physical harm. It can occur in various settings, including homes, public places and nursing, personal-care or assisted-living centers. It can involve family members, caregivers, health care professionals or strangers. Financial exploitation, whether done by a family member, a scam or someone else, has now become the largest category of elder abuse in the state, Kavulich said. 'This is something we need to talk about all the time. This is something that we need to make our neighbors aware of. This is something that we need to make sure is at the forefront of the conversation, because once those resources are gone, individuals cannot get it back,' Kavulich said. Pennsylvania is home to 3.4 million older adults, the fifth-highest total in the nation, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. As director of the county Area Agency on Aging, Kavulich led the development of the Older Adult Advocacy Center at Telespond Senior Services, 1200 Saginaw St. in Scranton. Described as the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, this center represents a national-level model of integrating services regarding elder mistreatment. It brings together medical, behavioral, legal and judicial services while offering temporary housing for victims as a plan is developed to meet their needs. Last month, Kavulich and local officials cut the ribbon on the Older Adult Advocacy Center. Other organizations that participated in Friday's event and received certificates of recognition and the first Jack T. Harte Awards 'for providing exceptional resources for older adults experiencing abuse, neglect or exploitation' included Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Telespond Senior Services, the Wright Center, Scranton Counseling Center, and the Lackawanna County Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Other speakers included current county Area Agency on Aging Director Sara McDonald and Assistant Director Kerri Anzulewicz, and Lackawanna County Commissioners Chris Chermak and Bill Gaughan. Gaughan noted that victims of elder abuse are parents, grandparents and neighbors, 'and their pain is real.' 'To turn a blind eye is to betray our shared humanity. But I'm proud to say that here in Lackawanna County, we do not turn away. Here, we act, we care and we protect. And we do so thanks in no small part to the remarkable team at the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging,' Gaughan said. Chermak also said the Area Agency on Aging's elder abuse protective services team 'is a beacon of hope' that last year investigated 1,475 reports of elder abuse and provided critical support and resources to those in need, and set a national standard with Telespond. 'Whether physical, emotional, financial or neglect, elder abuse strips our seniors of the dignity and safety they deserve,' Chermak said. Lackawanna County Commissioners Bil Gaughan and Chris Chermak speak during the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day program in the Commissioners Board Room in the Goverment Center in Scranton Friday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) To report suspected elder abuse, whether at home or in a care facility, call the statewide Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-800-490-8505. * Director for the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Sara McDonald introduces a speaker in the Commissioners Board Room in the county Government Center in Scranton Friday, June 13, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich joins the Lackawanna County Commissioners and, seated from left, Protective Services Supervisors Emily Stout and Lindsey Stevens, Protective Services Administrator Kristina Fiore, Deputy Director for the Area Agency on Aging Kerri Anzulewicz and Director for the Area Agency on Aging Sara McDonald for the Elder Abuse Awareness program in the Commissioners Board Room in the Goverment Center in Scranton Friday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging pamphlets on elder abuse on display Friday, June 13, 2025 at a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event at the Lackawanna County Government Center in Scranton. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) Show Caption 1 of 3 Director for the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Sara McDonald introduces a speaker in the Commissioners Board Room in the county Government Center in Scranton Friday, June 13, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Expand
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Take action:' Lifespan highlights World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Friday marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which is aimed at raising awareness and taking action to prevent elder abuse and neglect. Lifespan of Greater Rochester president and CEO Ann Marie Cook announced Friday the nonprofit has achieved nearly $7 million, across upstate New York, in court-ordered restitution for victims of financial exploitation, which is recognized as the most common form of elder abuse. In 2012, Lifespan introduced working teams made up of members of law enforcement, forensic and financial experts, district attorneys, and health care says much of their latest caseloads have revolved around the recent surge in scams. 'I cannot begin to tell you how our cases and scams have quadrupled. Really, maybe more,' said Cook, 'It is a trend we're seeing and these teams have just started to take up those cases in addition to traditional elder abuse cases. The harm to them in terms of those cases is just as great as the terms in traditional elder abuse.' Five seniors in Greece celebrate their 100th birthdays Monroe County Executive Adam Bello issued a proclamation to Lifespan, joining officials with a shared call on the community to help break the silence in what's described as a silent epidemic. 'Remember, you don't need a title or a badge to make a difference. You could be a friend, neighbor, or family member who sees or hears something that just doesn't feel quite right. We need everyone to recognize the signs of elder abuse and to know where to turn. Know the signs, know the resources, and take action,' said Kelly Zunner-Daniels, division leader for the Upstate Elder Abuse Center of Lifespan. Primary buildings across Monroe County and New York State will be lit in purple this weekend in light of raising awareness on elder abuse. More information about Lifespan's work and resources can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
