Eight organizations from Stonington and Westerly will commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by hosting a walk & community conversation at 9 a.m. Friday, June 14, at Wilcox Park in Westerly.

The organizations involved are PACE with Adult Day Center of Westerly, Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, Elder law attorney R.J. Connolly III, StoneRidge, Stonington Arms/EHDOC, Stonington Housing Authority/Edythe K. Richmond Homes, Stonington Commission on Aging, Westerly Library and Wilcox Park.

Participants will meet at Wilcox Park for a brief walk and then go to the Westerly Library for a discussion about elder abuse prevention. Members of the community are invited to attend.

The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations held the first World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in 2006, in an effort to unite communities around the world in raising awareness about elder abuse. Every year an estimated 1 in 10 older Americans are victims of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation, and some experts believe the figure is higher because elder abuse is significantly under-reported.

For more information, contact Stacy Cassata at (860) 599-3859 or scassata@ehdoc.org.