June 4, 2025
By: Alyson Morse Katzman, Co-Director, Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is coming up on June 15. WEAAD provides opportunities to raise awareness and promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older adults. While it is only one day, we at Safe Havens observe the “day” throughout the month of June.
If you are working with the nation’s growing population of older adults, you may already know that elder abuse is rarely discussed. According to the Department of Justice, for every 1 case of physical elder abuse reported, there are 20 cases that are never reported. For financial abuse, only 1 in 45 cases is reported. And the abuse is not just happening in group living situations, such as nursing homes. Since 90% of older adults are living within our communities, abuse is happening right under our noses. Now more than ever, we need to increase our understanding about abuse of older adults and help connect folks in our communities to the services they may need.
The more that we all learn about elder abuse, the better the chances are that those who experience abuse will get the help they deserve. But faith leaders (clergy and lay) and community members can play an especially critical role in raising awareness. Up to 89% of older adults are actively involved in faith communities. In many communities, faith is particularly vibrant and central, and the community is a trusted source of support, resilience, and connection. And, according to The Elder Justice Roadmap, “Individuals who do not specialize and are not trained in elder abuse issues (e.g., police officers, bank tellers, letter carriers, or clergy) may be the only ones in a position to notice that abuse may be occurring…. They are potential allies whose involvement is critical to an informed approach to prevention, detection, reporting, and response.”
Nobody wants to think that people in their congregations and communities might be experiencing elder abuse. At the same time, we make it harder to disclose if we never acknowledge that elder abuse is an issue. So, what’s a busy faith leader or faith community to do?
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day provides a great opportunity to speak up about elder abuse and spread awareness. Safe Havens and NCEA have developed some resources to help faith leaders and communities do just that. You can also learn more about WEAAD and faith communities and access materials for the general public. Your ability to refer older adults to local community services for support, while also responding to their spiritual needs, is critically important.
In addition, we invite you to participate in our annual National Weekend of Prayer and Action for Elder Justice, which takes place this year June 6 through 8. Safe Havens and NCEA have developed some non-denominational prayers and messages to promote justice for everyone as we age. Please consider using one, two, or all three prayers in a service, posting them in a bulletin, or sharing them on social media to raise awareness about elder abuse. For more ideas, please check out our WEAAD page.
We all deserve respect, dignity, and compassion as we age. Thank you for working with us to help ensure the older adults in YOUR community feel supported and safe.
Learn more about elder abuse:
Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse
National Center on Elder Abuse
National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life