THE Wentworth oldies brought the streets to life when they marched down Austerville Drive to increase awareness on elder abuse, a growing issue in the area, on Friday 14 June.
READ: Tafta calls for awareness on elder abuse in Durban communities
The initiative formed part of The Association for the Aged (Tafta) annual awareness walk to commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on 15 June. Tafta together with community elders came out in their numbers to walk together in honour of the global awareness day, from the Austerville Community Hall proceeding to Wentworth police station and returned back to the hall where an informative elder abuse awareness programme was held. As a recognised United Nations (UN) initiative, the purpose of the event was a call to action in raising awareness on the issue of elder abuse in the community of Wentworth.
“As Tafta, we are trying to do our bit to help our elderly who are experiencing mistreatment and hurtful incidents in their lives. We generally have our walk in the city centre however this year we decided to host the awareness session in Wentworth, following our experiences of rising levels of abuse being cited, but not formally reported, in the area. Our social work team sees as many as four abuse cases per month and approximately 50 per cent of those emanate from this area,” explained Tafta CEO Femada Shamam, who added that the 2019 WEAAD theme ‘Lifting up Voices’ provided the impetus needed to tackle these issues in the community of Wentworth. “It’s time, we truly lift up the voices of the elders in this region and make a deeper impact, by giving them a role in making a difference in their communities,” she said.
Department of Social Development social worker, Raylene Meth, who accompanied Tafta explained that challenges around elder abuse in the area were extensive, with financial, physical and other forms of elder abuse being rife. The association calls on interested community awareness bodies in its efforts to host awareness programmes in affected areas. To report elder abuse or help Tafta create awareness of elder abuse, contact 031-332-3721 or email info@tafta.org.za.
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