National Broadcast of U.S. Elder Abuse Film Set for
International Day of Older Persons
National Center on Elder Abuse says as many as two
million U.S. senior citizens aged 65 or older may have suffered abuse of
some sort
View video that tells more about
this documentary film to air Oct. 1, 2010 - click
Sept. 28, 2010
Link TV will broadcast a documentary film featuring stories of elder
abuse recorded by video advocates across the U.S. in coordination with
the United Nations International Day of Older People. An Age for
Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America will air on October 1 on
DIRECTV, the DISH Network, and select cable networks, as well as on the
Link TV website.
'Health care overhaul creates a three-year Medicare
demonstration project to test the home visit concept on 10,000 of the
sickest, most-expensive-to-treat Medicare enrollees
An Age for
Justice: Confronting Elder Abuse in America
is a short documentary that brings you into the homes of courageous
American elders to hear their poignant and real stories brings the issue
of elder abuse out of the shadows and asks us to imagine what we would
do if someone we loved was beaten, neglected about the abuse, neglect,
or exploitation they have experienced, says a statement from
ElderJusticeNow.org.
This intimate
story reveals a hidden crisis harming older Americans in every community
across the country.
"By uniting
voices of abused elders, family members, and experts from across our
nation, An Age for Justice brings the issue of elder abuse out of the
shadows and asks us to imagine what we would do if someone we loved was
beaten, neglected, or exploited, and we were in a position to stop it.
Being treated
justly and fairly is a basic human right. Yet every year elder abuse
leads millions to live in fear. To protect those you love and help put
an end to elder abuse, please join the effort and host a screening of An
Age for Justice for your friends, families and communities by going to
www.ElderJusticeNow.org.
The film, funded
in part by the Fledgling Fund, is part of the Elder Justice Now
campaign, a joint effort of the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and
WITNESS to raise awareness of the increasing prevalence of elder abuse
in the United States.
Break the Silence: Elder Abuse in America
A video by Witness.org, an international human rights organization that provides training and support to local groups to use video in their human rights advocacy campaigns. To read more, visit the About WITNESS page. (www.Witness.org)
This is the
second time Link TV has partnered with NCOA and WITNESS to help raise
awareness about the silent issue of elder abuse.
"Elder abuse is
a growing but underreported problem, and we are grateful for the ongoing
commitment from Link TV to join with us to give voice to vulnerable
older adults," said Jim Firman, president and CEO of NCOA.
"We hope this
national broadcast will inspire and empower local communities to join
the fight against elder abuse."
According to the
National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), as many as two million Americans
aged 65 or older may have suffered abuse of some sort. The NCEA defines
abuse as any intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other
person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult
including financial, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
Earlier this
year, NCOA and WITNESS launched a national screening initiative to
widely distribute the film and 11 individual video stories as a tool for
raising awareness and facilitating community education and dialogue on
elder abuse, found at
www.elderjusticenow.org/host-a-screening/.
NCOA also
encourages comments about elder justice policy ideas on its ideas
exchange website: The Exchange: Putting Ideas to Work for Older
Americans at
www.AgingExchange.org.
Elder Abuse Legal Help
Concerned that someone in your family has been abused in a
nursing home, Click Here
About Link TV
Link TV is an
independent non-commercial network devoted to global issues, available
in 32 million U.S. homes receiving satellite television on DIRECTV
channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410. Select programs are shown on
more than 170 local cable systems, on many college campus channels and
streamed worldwide on the Internet. For more information, visit
http://www.linktv.org.
About Witness
WITNESS is an
international human rights organization that uses the power of video to
open the eyes of the world to human rights abuses. By partnering with
local organizations around the globe, WITNESS empowers human rights
defenders to use video to transform personal stories of abuse into
powerful tools of justice. WITNESS has partnered with groups in more
than 70 countries, bringing often unseen images, untold stories and
seldom heard voices to the attention of key decision makers, the media,
and the general public prompting grassroots activism, political
engagement, and lasting change. (http://witness.org)
About the
National Council on Aging
The National
Council on Aging (NCOA) is a non-profit service and advocacy
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCOA is a national voice
for older Americans - especially those who are vulnerable and
disadvantaged - and the community organizations that serve them. It
brings together non-profit organizations, businesses and government to
develop creative solutions that improve the lives of all older adults.
NCOA works with thousands of organizations across the country to help
seniors find jobs and benefits, improve their health, live independently
and remain active in their communities.
The National
Council on Aging (NCOA) is a non-profit service and advocacy
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCOA is a national voice
for older Americans - especially those who are vulnerable and
disadvantaged - and the community organizations that serve them. It
brings together non-profit organizations, businesses and government to
develop creative solutions that improve the lives of all older adults.
NCOA works with thousands of organizations across the country to help
seniors find jobs and benefits, improve their health, live independently
and remain active in their communities.