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KENANSVILLE — Duplin County Senior Services held an elder abuse awareness event on June 11 to educate the community about issues affecting older adults.
The day began at the Duplin County Senior and Veteran Services building with an Elder Abuse Walk. Staff and volunteers showed their support by wearing purple, the official color for elder abuse awareness. Participants walked around the Duplin Commons trails, which featured signs that highlighted important information about elder abuse.
Melisa Brown, Duplin County Senior Services director, told Duplin Journal that 20 people participated in the walk. “One of the 20 is 93 years young,” Brown noted.
Following the walk, seniors had the opportunity to hear from key speakers from Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging (ECC-AAA) and ECU Health, who presented an informative session on elder abuse. The speakers highlighted warning signs and prevention strategies. According to Brown, there were 50 participants in the morning presentations.
“January Brown and Angelia Pridgen with ECC-AAA are great presenters, and the seniors enjoy the way they portray difficult topics with an easy application of how to avoid and endure whatever comes their way,” said Brown. She also praised Mary Lou Infinito, community outreach coordinator with ECU Health, who discussed advance directives and the importance of advance care planning.
“She will be coming back at another time to provide the advance directives for seniors that have had time to review the packet and speak with their family members,” Brown told Duplin Journal.
Brown shared that the event served as a platform to bring attention to a critical issue while also sharing valuable information to empower both seniors and caregivers. It also emphasized the importance of unity in the fight against elder abuse.
“The real-life examples provided by the presenters really provided the direct impact of the education to empower the community on how to recognize and report suspected abuse,” said Brown. “The seniors were engaged in the conversations and shared how they have been targeted with phone scams, etc.”
In the afternoon, caregivers of family members with dementia, along with staff members who serve seniors at home, participated in Dementia Live empowerment sessions. These sessions aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals living with dementia. Brown reported that 11 participants attended the afternoon session.
“The Dementia Live empowerment allows all staff to have a great level of empathy to support and care for those with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, or memory impairment,” she explained, adding that for the caregivers in attendance, the sessions “helped them understand to some degree how the care recipient feels” and how they can be better able to assist or understand their behaviors.
“Knowledge is power, and it is our goal to love and support in the process,” said Brown.
