Senior center honors Elder Abuse Awareness Day
COSHOCTON – Anyone who walked into the Coshocton County Senior Center at lunch time on June 15 was met by a sea of purple, the color chosen to symbolize the growing problem of elder abuse.
The senior center joined in the world-wide effort to prevent elder abuse and one of the events they marked it with was a contest to see who could wear the most purple.
Juana Jones’ 15 items of purple won her first place in the contest and a Wal-Mart gift card.
“I love purple and I’m against elder abuse,” she said. “You should show respect to the elderly.”
Lt. Dean Hettinger from the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office and representatives from the Coshocton County Department of Job and Family Services picked five people they felt had the most purple on and the winner was then selected by applause.
“When I walked in I was really very surprised by how much purple I saw,” he said. “I love coming down here because they are so welcoming and fun to interact with.”
During lunch Anne Randles, who is with the Coshocton County JFS Adult Protective Services, talked about the different types of abuse, warning signs, and how to report abuse if you suspect it is happening to someone you know.
“We can come in and access risks and safety concerns and connect them with community resources like the senior center and home health agencies,” she said. “We want to keep elderly in their homes as long as possible and as long as they are safe because we are all happiest in our own homes.”
After lunch attendees were invited to step outside and release purple balloons.
“We are blessed in this community to have so much support for our older community members,” Hettinger said.
If you are worried about the safety of someone over the age of 60, call JFS at 740-622-1020 or on weekends or holiday’s call the sheriff’s office at 740-622-2411.
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