At Safe Ministry Check, we care about the safe treatment of all people. If you have done our training, you’ll know that one of the key words we use is “Vulnerable Person”. Whilst most think safe ministry is about looking after the safety of children in your church, safe ministry is really about the safety of vulnerable people of all ages.
June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness day. The aim of WEAAD is to bring to light the serious issue of elder abuse. As elderabuseawarenessday.org.au/ brilliantly puts it, “Elder abuse is any act which causes harm to an older person and is carried out by someone they know and trust such as a family member or friend. The abuse may be physical, social, financial, psychological or sexual and can include mistreatment and neglect.”
On this day, it’s important that we reflect on the way older people around us are being cared for. In our churches, we want to make sure older people are looked after and not neglected. If you aware or suspicious of unsafe practise around the treatment of older people in your church, it’s important that you take action. Just like any other form of abuse, elder abuse needs to be dealt with.
If you’re a leader of a church, how are you protecting your older church members from possible abuse? Is this an area your church needs to be more aware of? Why not take the time to think through how you can safeguard people of all ages from abuse in your church.
Photo by Bruno Aguirre on Unsplash