Council marks World Elder Abuse Day

Pictured at the Council stand on World Elder Abuse Day to raise awareness in Lisburn are: (l-r) Richard Gill, Ulster Bank; Bridgene Savage, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust; Deputy Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Amanda Grehan and Lyn Preece, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust.

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Amanda Grehan, who is the Age Friendly Champion for Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, visited the stand in Bow Street Mall to meet with the other organisations and to see first-hand the range of support services for the elderly within the Council area.

“The United Nations designated June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and we and our partners wanted to use this opportunity to showcase services available locally for our older residents,” said Councillor Grehan. “We all need to play our part to support and protect the elderly. I was pleased to have the opportunity to raise awareness of elder abuse as with a growing global population of elderly people, supporting older people has never been more important.

“Through the organisations we have partnered with we took the opportunity to engage with our older residents to ensure they know how to bank safely, how to protect themselves from crime and the fear of crime through the Lisburn and Castlereagh Policing and Community Safety Partnership and the PSNI and the services they can access through the Trust.

“We would like to encourage everyone across the Lisburn Castlereagh area to look out for their older neighbours, to check in with them regularly and report any concerns you may have to either a family member or the relevant authorities.”