WHEREAS, older adults contribute expertise, time, wisdom, and experience to our great State and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity; and

WHEREAS, June 15th marks the 17th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older adults and recognize the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue; and

WHEREAS, the Elder Justice Coordinating Partnership was established in 2019 to raise awareness, prevent and address elder abuse, and lead to the development of Maine’s Elder Justice Roadmap; and

WHEREAS, the Cabinet on Aging was established in 2022, in recognition that as our population lives longer, we are presented with an opportunity to think about our collective needs and future as a State; and

WHEREAS, ageism and social isolation are major causes of elder abuse in the United States; and

WHEREAS, it is up to all of us to ensure that proper social structures exist so people can retain community and societal connections, reducing the likelihood of abuse; and

WHEREAS, preventing abuse of older adults through maintaining and improving supportive services, community engagement, and inclusion allows everyone to continue to live as independently as possible and contribute to the life and vibrancy of our communities; and

WHEREAS, where there is justice there can be no abuse; therefore, Maine urges all people to restore justice by honoring older adults.

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim June 15, 2023, as

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

in Maine, and I encourage all communities to recognize and celebrate the many contributions of older adults to our State and join the commitment to putting an end to elder abuse.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this seventh day of June Two Thousand Twenty-Three