Age Concern - Fundraiser

We are doing a school project on social actions, and picked elderly abuse and neglect. For our project we have to do something to combat our social issue. We chose to fundraiser for Age Concern.

If you have any questions feel free to ask below.

Elderly Abuse and Neglect affects old people not only in New Zealand but all over the world. An estimate done by Age Concern resulted in about 17,000 to 25,000 of older New Zealanders experiencing some form of abuse every year. This could be psychological, sexual, physical, financial and domestic abuse. Around 70-85% of abuse occurs in families, people who are trusted. As well as abused, they are also often neglected.

From the National Institute of Ageing:

“Gerald, 73, had a stroke, which left him unable to care for himself. His son offered to help, and Gerald moved in with him and his family. But Gerald's son and daughter-in-law worked all day and were busy with their kids in the evenings. Gerald hated being a burden on them and tried to take care of himself.

One day, Gerald's friend Carmen came to visit. She was surprised to see food stains on his clothes and sores on his heels. His room smelled like urine, too. Gerald seemed depressed and withdrawn — not at all like the jolly, witty friend she'd known for years. Carmen worried that Gerald's family was neglecting him.”

Age Concern is a charity that helps to provide and support people over 65, in the extended Wellington region. Their vision is ‘for our older population to be a thriving, respected and engaged part of our community.’ They do many things, for instance helping the elderly have social connections and elderly abuse & neglect prevention. They have lots of information on their website https://www.acwellington.org.nz/ You can also subscribe to their newsletter here https://www.acwellington.org.nz/keep-in-touch/

What else can I do?

There are lots of other things you can do to help combat elderly abuse and neglect.

You could:

- Visit an elderly relative in a rest home and provide company

- Volunteer at rest homes or other elderly support organisations

- Call an elderly you know

- Provide support for other organisations with this cause

- Make baking and donate it

- Shop for an elderly person, especially during these unsafe times

We would greatly appreciate it if you could donate some money to help Age Concern do their really important job, helping the elderly community of New Zealand.