On Wednesday, the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD), Ekurhuleni healthcare workers and the Ekurhuleni Older Persons Forum visited about 350 households in the Ekuthuleni informal settlement in Kwa-
Thema as part of a build-up programme for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The day is observed annually on June 15 to highlight elder abuse as a human rights issue.
The GDSD’s Ekurhuleni regional co-ordinator of the Older Persons Programme, Lindi Khoele, said the door-to-door campaign aimed to educate the community about the rights of older persons.
“We are in Kwa-Thema today to promote the rights of older persons and empower the community to recognise and report the abuse inflicted on some of the older generation.
“In our communities, we know people will see an older person being abused, but they do not know the channels available to report such abuse. Therefore, the primary purpose is to assist communities in identifying elderly abuse and reporting it to the relevant stakeholders.
“This engagement builds up to the Provincial World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on the West Rand on June 14.
“Older people are most important in communities and play a significant role in nurturing the younger generation. During this day, we will celebrate them so communities know older persons have valuable input and knowledge to share with young people,” said Khoele.
A resident at Ekuthuleni informal settlement said the many social ills in their community were contributing factors to elderly abuse.
He said, “Older persons in our area lack basic services such as proper sanitation, water and electricity. Crime and violence are among the many issues they face.”
