Dear Editor,
As we carry on our daily activities, how many of us give second thought to the senior at the post office or who comes into our store, who is always quiet and buys their goods and is gone? Do we notice they seem more depressed, that they have little money to spend, that they seem afraid or maybe they have bruises?
It is easy to reason in our minds that we are just imagining it or we just don’t want to get involved. Abuse happens.
As a community it is our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child but it also takes a whole community to protect our seniors.
The Coronation Community Silver club feels the need to inform our society to be aware and recognize the signs of abuse and that this is not acceptable.
For imminent danger, call 911. Or contact the Family Violence info line at 310-1818 for information, advice and referrals 24 hr/seven days service in 170 languages.
These phone numbers and referrals all sound great and wonderful, but if you are elderly and in poor health physically and emotionally, are you truly able to phone and be told the closest help is Red Deer, 24 hours away if you are not in immediate danger. That is just not realistic.
We need qualified resource people and services on the ground in rural Alberta. Our Family and Community Support Services are overburden and underfunded. We need help with out aging population just as much in rural Alberta as elsewhere.
Our group is trying to educate seniors, families, healthcare providers and the general public about abuse and that our voices need to be heard.
Audrey Glasier, Group leader
Coronation Community Silver Club
