The awareness campaign was held at the KwaThema Old Age Centre where senior citizens from Tsakane and KwaThema gathered to be educated on how to help themselves if faced by abuse at home.
According to Charlotte Masemola from Social Development, there has been a rise in senior citizens being abused at home by their families and relatives, hence they felt the need to alert the elderly to report such cases instead of keeping quiet.
“Abuse is not only physical and that is what we wanted to get across to the elderly, to say they must speak up when they are ill treated at home,” she explains.
KwaThema Old Age Centre manager Monica Kgoloane says through reports from the caregivers who visit senior citizens at home, they have found that there is an alarming amount of economic abuse that they suffer.
“Some elderly are being bullied by their family members into giving them their SASSA cards after they have received their social grant every month and they are scared to report such cases.
“We hope that this campaign will give them the courage to speak up and report cases of abuse if it occurs,” she adds.
The SAPS was also present to show their support and educate the senior citizens about their rights to report abuse.
