By the time y’all read this our Older Americans Day Celebration set for May 23 will have come and gone. We know it will be a very successful event from start to finish. Employees and local volunteers have been working hard to prepare for this day and ensure everyone has a great time! The day will begin with a free full breakfast along with dancing in the street, BINGO, free raffle drawings awarding gifts to everyone, a cake walk, free booths and vendor stations offering up education information and health fairs, free lunch, along with lots more. We’re all very excited to be a part of this event and look forward to it every year.
Lindsay Pope Farms, Chief Gene and his wife Charlene Jacobs, Star Telephone, along with family and friends provided a wonderful fishing outing for our Garland Senior Center participants. This is our favorite outing here at GSC and your mind can’t imagine how much this event means to us all. Approximately 40 people enjoyed the festivities that day and we all had a great time. A delicious meal was provided after we fished for a while. It was a nice feeling to be down by the water and catch a few fish. We are so thankful to the Jacobs family, Lindsay Pope Farms, Star telephone and everyone who made this event possible. We appreciate all the effort and hard work that goes into these events and are so very grateful. We love y’all!
Our topic for discussion today is one that I wish didn’t even exist, but it does. We’ve all heard of elder abuse and most of us view this as a problem “the other fella” has. What’s so sad is that these types of abuse and neglect sometimes hit closer to home than we may realize. More times than not, the incidents are kept hush hush out of fear. Many elderly people who are victims of elder abuse feel trapped both emotionally and psychologically due to feelings of intimidation.
It must be a top priority in all of our lives to protect our elderly population along with children. Safeguarding our past and future generations is very important and should be one of our main objectives. If we see something that doesn’t seem right, ask questions. If we feel as though we know someone who may be a victim of elder abuse, we have to report it to Adult Protective Services (APS).
There will come a time in all our lives where we will have to be a voice for someone who has lost theirs. We shouldn’t ever turn a blind eye when it comes to something as cruel and heinous as elder abuse. We are never alone in our suffering and sometimes we fail to realize there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Be the light for somebody today who may be blinded by tear filled eyes. Help somebody who may not be able to help themselves. Let God’s light and love guide our paths as we always do our best for our older adults and our children. Please report all elder abuse and stop helping this dirty little secret thrive. Help someone today because we never know when we may need help ourselves. Volunteer today for a brighter tomorrow! We rise by lifting others. If you are a victim of abuse, please reach out for help by contacting your local (APS) Adult Protective Services. Elder abuse, like all forms of abuse are not victimless crimes. Speak out and make your voice matter.
As God’s children of love and light, let’s all do our best to get out there and shine! Live, laugh and love without limits!
