Following the Older People’s Summit hosted by the Dundee Adult Support and Protection Committee in June 2012 a range of agencies have come together to take some of the issues raised forward and to plan for this year’s World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 15th June.
One of the issues that has been highlighted is the need to build capacity in older people to keep themselves safe. With this in mind, co-operation has developed between adult protection, environmental safety, local communities and a local drama company.
The Drama Company has agreed to provide free tuition sessions to older volunteers and the volunteers will then take the ‘safety and protection’ message out into their own locality - sheltered housing complexes, lunch clubs and local community centres - focusing on particular harm scenarios such as bogus callers and financial harm. The older volunteers will effectively become ‘safety and protection’ champions in their own areas.
The community dramas are now starting and, if successful, will be rolled out to other localities across Dundee. The plan is that a DVD will also be produced to be used with older people living who live on their own at home and who are unable to venture out.