DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — A group in Vermilion County launched a lifesaving program on Tuesday.

Cris Healthy Aging in Danville has launched their Abuse in Later Life Initiative, backed by a substantial grant nearing half a million dollars. This initiative focuses on providing advocacy and assistance to those aged 50 and above who face various forms of abuse.

Cris Healthy Aging started training the community to be a part of it.

The funding originates from the Office of Violence Against Women and is structured into three main components: providing direct services to the elderly, offering training for agencies such as law enforcement, prosecutors, healthcare providers, and aging services, and facilitating a coordinated community response. This week marked the commencement of the latter.

The Executive Director at Cris Healthy Aging, Lisa Miller, said abuse in older people happens all over.

“Abuse is indeed widespread and significantly underreported,” said Miller. “Our objective is to educate people in positions like law enforcement, healthcare, casework, and social work on how to detect signs of abuse, as individuals often drop subtle hints that need to be recognized.”

Some groups at the kickoff event were the police and fire departments, Carle Health, OSF, and the State’s Attorney’s Office.

While some may assume the training solely focuses on identifying physical abuse, it’s important to recognize the many other forms of abuse that often go unseen, such as domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, neglect, and exploitation.

The agencies that attended the event are not the only ones who can get involved.

Miller said that anyone interested is encouraged to join the initiative.