The #LifelongConnections campaign celebrates the many ways older people are
connected to others, and how these relationships can foster safety, dignity, and
well being.
It acknowledges the role of:
• Friendships and peer networks, which offer companionship, emotional support and mutual monitoring
• Inter-generational ties, where bonds with children, grandchildren or younger people create continuity and care
• Community participation, which brings older people into spaces where they are seen, heard and valued
• Caring roles, where older people support others and, in doing so, strengthen eciprocal ties that also protect them
In these connections, protection doesn’t come from institutions alone – it grows organically through trust, empathy, and presence.
Understanding elder abuse as a social issue – not just a legal or institutional one –
opens the door to new forms of prevention. #LifelongConnections reminds us that
relationships are not only central to ageing with dignity, but also key to reducing
the risk of harm.
As the global population ages, investing in the social and emotional lives of older
people is essential. That means tackling isolation, promoting inclusion, and
recognising the value of the connections that older people carry with them
throughout their lives.
In the fight against elder abuse, relationships may be one of the most powerful
tools we have.
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