World Elder Abuse Awareness Day proclaimed in Weld County
Published on June 16, 2025
The Weld County Board of Commissioners proclaimed June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) during its meeting on Wednesday, June 11. This proclamation serves to reaffirm the collective responsibility of the county and community partners to help ensure older and at-risk adults are treated with dignity.
The Weld County Adult Protective Services (APS) team plays a vital role in safeguarding the wellbeing of vulnerable adults through advocacy, investigations of mistreatment, and arrangement of services to stop or prevent abuse, exploitation and neglect.
The National Center of Elder Abuse estimates that between 1 and 2 million Americans ages 65 or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection.
“This statistic underscores the critical importance of raising awareness, promoting prevention and supporting the dedicated professionals working to protect older and at-risk adults each and every day,” said Tami Grant, Weld County Department of Human Services Deputy Director. “Our APS team remains committed to advocating for these vulnerable adults within the community.”
Grant notes that the APS team investigated 1,028 allegations in 2024, including caretaker neglect, abuse, exploitation, harmful act and self-neglect. This represents a 29% increase compared to 2023 data.
“Weld County Department of Human Services (DHS) is proud to have a team defined by exceptional talent, shared values and strong ethic. We understand that every metric represents real people, and this team remains committed to making a meaningful impact,” Grant said.
“Ageism and elder abuse are prevalent issues. Older adults are subject to exploitation due to unfair stereotypes and assumptions,” said Lynette Peppler, Commissioner Coordinator for the Weld County DHS. “It is our duty to work together to combat those misconceptions and ensure that they are treated with respect. And in scenarios where they have been exploited, I am thankful to know we have a great team at Weld County that is advocating for those individuals.”
WEAAD aims to bring older adults to the forefront of our minds, to recognize their ongoing contributions to the success and vitality of our county, but also to be vigilant in recognizing and calling out abuse and mistreatment. To learn more about APS, including how to report suspected abuse, visit the Adult Protection webpage.