It takes a community working together to help battle elder abuse and that message has been spreading rapidly since last year's first World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event here in Cochrane.

Now a fully developed multi-agency response has been launched to help older adults deal with this complex and layered issue and there's been a growing number of seniors reaching out to learn more or get help.

During the June 15 awareness event, the Community Led Elder Abuse Response (CLEAR) was fully explained and those in attendance received a workshop on the many forms of abuse, how people can recognize the signs and then respond appropriately.

Jenny-Lyn Keene, the older adults community resource worker at the Western Rocky View Resource Centre, says after every presentation they usually receive a flurry of inquiries. In addition to an overview, there was an interactive video presentation "It's Not Right." The presentation has been made before to smaller groups in both Cochrane and West Rocky View.

"After any presentation or community event where we have been set up providing information, I will usually have an increase in response at the centre," says Keene,"because we're talking about what the warning signs are, we're talking about what the risk factors are and were also talking about what resources are available. People are being made more aware that there is a place to go in the community."

It's a part-time position that has been made possible with a two-year Alberta Government grant that started in August 2017.

"I thought it would maybe take a little bit longer to get busy, but it hasn't. I'm very, very busy."

Perhaps it's because elder abuse isn't anything new, but how to respond has become increasingly sophisticated and more widely publicized,

"This has always existed. It's relatively hidden in communities," says Keene. "When you have adults who are isolated, you're not hearing about these cases. Now that we have this response and the education is out there, we're reaching a large population. Elder abuse is there and it will continue to increase as the Rocky View population ages."

The awareness day event, attended by about 65 people, included a number of presenters, a free lunch and the second annual awareness walk from the Legion to downtown's iconic "Chicken Lady" lead by piper and town councillor Susan Flowers, flag bearing Legionnaire Steve Merritt, RCMP inspector Lauren Weare and escorted by the RCMP.

SEE MORE:

CLEAR-ing the Way to Respond to Elder Abuse