🌍 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day – June 17
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is marked every year on June 17 to raise awareness and help prevent the abuse of older people.
Elder abuse is a global issue that can take many forms:
- Physical
- Psychological or emotional
- Financial
- Sexual
- Neglect
- Discrimination
WEAAD was launched in 2006 through a partnership between the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. Since then, the day has served as a global call to action for preventing and addressing the mistreatment of older adults.
đź”— WEAAD 2025 Theme: Connection is Protection
This year’s campaign highlights loneliness and social isolation—often overlooked, but powerful risk factors in elder abuse.
Older people who are isolated or disconnected are more vulnerable to mistreatment. In contrast, those with strong social connections are:
- More visible and engaged
- Less likely to be targeted
- More likely to have abuse recognised and addressed
What is loneliness?
Loneliness isn’t just about being alone. It’s about feeling disconnected, unseen, or lacking meaningful relationships. There are three main types:
- Social loneliness – lacking friends or people nearby to share interests and activities with
- Emotional loneliness – feeling the absence of close emotional connections
- Existential loneliness – feeling alone even when surrounded by others
By building stronger connections, we can help protect older people and reduce the risk of abuse.
🟣 WEAAD 2025 Campaign Messages
- Promote and raise awareness of elder abuse
- Recognise the link between loneliness, social isolation, and abuse
- Connection is Protection
đź’ś Get Involved
Help mark WEAAD 2025 in your community:
- Host a “Wear Purple Day” to show your support
- Use our campaign resources to raise awareness
- Display the WEAAD poster in your workplace or community space
- Share your activities on social media
- Tag us on X (Twitter): @safeguarding_ie
- Use the hashtags: #WEAAD2025, #ConnectionIsProtection, #EndElderAbuse
- Promote through local media – write articles, share broadcasts, or give interviews
- Host or attend an event – such as a community gathering, workshop, or support session
- Join us at our World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Webinar – Connection is Protection 11am to 1 pm on the 17th
đź“Ž WEAAD Resource Materials
👉 2025 Campaign Poster 1
👉 2025 Campaign Poster 2
Older Materials
Safeguarding Training
Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Abuse Training
Safeguarding awareness training is available on HSeLanD and is a requirement for all staff working in older persons services and services for adults with disabilities.
This eLearning module uses a number of scenarios that represent real-life situations such as
- How a service users might be at risk of abuse
- How a staff member learns of the abuse
- Concerns staff may have about responding and reporting the abuse
- Learning about the types of abuse
Designated Officer Training
The National Safeguarding Office offers a training programme for adult safeguarding designated officers to support them in their role receiving and responding to concerns of abuse.
Information on accessing designated officer training, frequently asked questions and 2025 dates is available here
To enrol on this programme, login into HSeLanD and search the Course Catalogue for Adult Safeguarding Designated Officer Blended programme.
Any additional training queries - contact safeguarding.socialcare@hse.ie
Managers Toolkit to Extend Safeguarding Learning
This Managers Toolkit is designed to help services to support staff in their safeguarding learning. There are several worksheets in the toolkit to guide small group discussions. The templates are designed as single exercises you can use depending on your requirements at a given time. These may be used, for example, during team meetings or other opportunities for learning moments.
Quality Assurance Process for Safeguarding Training
The quality assurance process for safeguarding training as developed and applied in 2018 has been updated to reflect changes to adult safeguarding training programmes. This document sets quality assurance measures that should be adhered to in order to ensure quality and consistency of adult safeguarding training and development. Responsibilities are set out for the NSO, facilitators, training participants and management.
Learning to Safeguard Report 2022
Learning to Safeguard reports on two studies into HSE adult safeguarding training programmes.
The report details:
- An examination of adult safeguarding officers’ readiness for online learning and their perceptions of the blended learning approach employed in the designated officer training programme.
- An examination of staff learners perceptions of the Safeguarding Adults at Risk of Abuse eLearning programme
- And a summary of recommendations for both programmes.
Other resources
Safeguarding Self Audit Tool (PDF)
Personal Action Plan (docx)
Definitions and Categories of Abuse (PDF)
Watch 'Recognising and Responding to Elder Abuse in Residential Care Settings' (Youtube)
and its associated workbook can be found here
Watch 'Open your Eyes to Elder Abuse (Youtube) and its associated booklet to aid group discussion can be found here
Safeguarding information leaflets
Safeguarding Information Leaflet English
Safeguarding Information Leaflet Irish
Safeguarding Information Leaflet Lithuanian
Safeguarding Information Leaflet Polish
Safeguarding Information Leaflet Romanian
Safeguarding Information Leaflet Ukrainian
Safeguarding Guidance Documents
The National Safeguarding Office have developed a suite of practice guidance documents, to assist professionals working in health and social services. These guidance documents outline current best practice to inform health and social care professionals in making safeguarding decisions. Whilst these guidance documents cannot provide a response to every issue that can arise, they are intended as a general guide and will signpost the practitioner to move through the safeguarding process. These practice guidance documents are regularly updated as areas of safeguarding policy and practice develops. The following documents are currently available:
Prevention and Creating a Safeguarding Culture (PDF)
Responding to Concerns of Abuse (PDF)
Guidance on completing a Preliminary Screening (PDF)
Safeguarding Planning (PDF)
Non Engagement (PDF)
Risk Considerations (PDF)
Peer Abuse (PDF)
Liaison with an Garda SĂochána (PDF)
Injuries of Unknown Origin (PDF)
Communication Approaches (PDF)
Transfer and discharge of adults at risk of abuse from one service to another (PDF)
