Lifelong Respect
Everyone has the right to live with dignity and safety.
One in six (1 in 6) people in Australia experience elder abuse. Elder abuse is a violation of human rights; it can include physical, sexual, psychological, emotional abuse, financial and material abuse, abandonment, or neglect.
One of the key values of COTA Tasmania is respect. We respect the contribution and experience of all Tasmanians as they age and support each person’s right to make choices, be safe, and participate in the community.
Lifelong Respect is acknowledging and actively supporting the life stages approach to aging. A person’s safety and rights should not be determined by age; however, ageism and other risk factors and inequalities often combine to create disrespectful, harmful, and abusive behaviours toward people as they age.
Respectful relationships can prevent elder abuse.
Lifelong Respect awareness information sessions:
Lifelong Respect is an awareness-raising program that works through understanding the types of abuse, the impacts, and ways to prevent this from happening in your community. It is a program designed to end the abuse of older Tasmanians, and it starts with community connections and conversations.
Lifelong Respect: Tasmania’s strategy to end the abuse of older Tasmanians 2023-2029.
Older Voices for Change: COTA Tasmania is committed to working with older Tasmanians with lived experience and expertise to raise their voices, change their lives and those of others, in the pursuit of awareness and prevention of elder abuse.
The Older Voices for Change (OVC) program provides training and support to elder abuse survivors to tell their stories and advocate through media and community connections as unique change agents in raising awareness and preventing elder abuse.
Watch the Films
Advocacy Work
Wear Purple Campaign
The Wear Purple Initiative was a new campaign by COTA Tasmania to help raise more awareness and understanding of elder abuse in the lead up to World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), and throughout the whole year. We asked communities to show their support by hosting a fun activity.
Wear Purple Campaign
The campaign was very successful with a variety of organisations getting on board by value adding to their existing activities. Many posted their support and activities on their Facebook pages.
We thank the following thirteen (13) organisations that we know publicly supported the campaign, and everyone who attended the events:
Care2Serve Carers Tasmania – Purple Morning Tea
Warrane Neighbourhood Centre – Purple Community Lunch
Warrane Community Garden – Purple Friday Morning Muster at the Garden and Purple Sunday Working Bee.
McMullen Lawyers – Purple Morning Tea
Roy Fagan Centre – Purple Morning Tea
Northern Aged Care Assessment Team – Wear Purple to Training Day
Kingborough Council – Lighting up the Kingborough Hub Purple
Respect Tyler Village Prospect Vale – Purple Morning High Tea and community awareness session.
Public Trustee – Purple Morning Tea
Phoenix Community Centre King Island – Dress Your Dog in Purple community walk
Palliative Care Tasmanian – Purple Morning Tea
Aurora Energy – Facebook post standing behind COTA’s Wear Purple campaign
Corumbene Rural Primary Health Program – Staff Wear Purple Day
5 venues lit up purple!
A number of venues and landmarks were lit purple in the lead up to, and during the 15 June:
- Tasman Bridge, Hobart
- Leven River Bridge Ulverstone – Central Coast Council
- Kingborough Hub – Kingborough Council
- Town Hall – Launceston City Council
- Council offices – Burnie City Council
Advocacy Work
Purple on Parliament Lawns (World Elder Abuse Awareness Day – Saturday, 15 June)
On WEAAD day itself, the 15 June, we partnered with Advocacy Tasmania to raise awareness on Parliament Lawns. The community really got involved in asking questions and taking information including a free purple lifelong respect scarf!
Every year on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, families, students, community members, workers and volunteers unite to raise awareness of elder abuse and the ageism that drives it.
Ageism makes it seem okay to ignore older people, and this can have terrible consequences. If older people are ignored and undervalued, it is more likely others will turn a blind eye to elder abuse.
Older people have the right to live with dignity and safety, just like people of every other age.
