World Elder Abuse Awareness Walk

Bull Street in Columbia, SC, turned purple on June 12, 2026, as men and women in purple shirts gathered for the city’s annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Walk. The event was sponsored by the SC Department of Social Services.

While it is definitely true that elder abuse often happens in nursing homes, it can also occur outside of these facilities.

“There’s neglect of older adults who don’t drive anymore, who are lonely.” Kelly Cordell, Director of Adult Advocacy at SCDSS said at the event. “They may not be getting the food that they need, their electricity may be cut off, and as a community, we can come together and help them before they get to a system like a DSS system.”

A 2015 New England Journal of Medicine article estimated that 10% of elders are abused and highlighted that most abuse comes from spouses and family members. This abuse can be physical, verbal, sexual, financial, or as the result of neglect.

While the NEJM article was published to warn physicians of the frequency of elder abuse among their patients, it is deeply important for society at large to recognize any changes in behavior, appearance, or financial situation in their older loved ones that seem unusual.

Above all, older adults must be treated with dignity rather than ignorance or avoidance.

Cordell said, “Protecting older adults doesn’t just treating them like children or putting them in a facility. It means being aware of … how they age, listening to them, hearing them, and valuing older adults.”

The message behind the World Elder Abuse Awareness Walk should prompt one to research and tell others about what they have learned. Though the subject matter is difficult, the attentiveness to signs of elder abuse one could gain could save and restore someone’s quality of life.