The Acceptance Project | Personal Growth, Self-Care, & Emotional Health
Jun 9, 2026 · 25 min · 10 segments
As World Elder Abuse Awareness Day approaches, it is important to recognize that elder abuse is not always physical, visible, or dramatic. Often, it begins quietly through isolation, shrinking social…
Bryan GrossHostNo entities detected.
When most people hear the phrase elder abuse, they immediately picture bruises, neglect, or some dramatic story they saw on the evening news.
They might even imagine it happens somewhere else, to someone else, in a place far away from their own family or community.
It happens in families, in neighborhoods, in care facilities, and sometimes even in the lives of people we know and love.
It happens to people who have spent their lives caring for others, teaching children, maybe even showing up for the people around them.
As we recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15th, I want us to look beyond the headlines and statistics.
I want to talk about dignity, belonging, and what happens when people begin to disappear in plain sight.
And as many of you know, one of the topics I've been speaking about more and more recently is the concept of shrinking.
Becoming smaller in the world because the world no longer seems to notice you're there.
So today we're going to talk about how that happens, why it matters and what each of us can do to create communities where people continue to feel seen, valued and protected throughout every stage of life.
Years ago, I had the privilege of delivering a keynote presentation at the Kentucky Elder Abuse Conference.
I remember preparing for that event and expecting to learn about investigations, legal issues, reporting requirements, and the practical side of protecting older adults.
Story after story about people who had once been deeply connected to their families, churches, workplaces, and even communities, and then suddenly found themselves alone.
When most people hear the phrase elder abuse, they immediately picture bruises, neglect, or some dramatic story they saw on the evening news.
They might even imagine it happens somewhere else, to someone else, in a place far away from their own family or community.
It happens in families, in neighborhoods, in care facilities, and sometimes even in the lives of people we know and love.
It happens to people who have spent their lives caring for others, teaching children, maybe even showing up for the people around them.
As we recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15th, I want us to look beyond the headlines and statistics.
I want to talk about dignity, belonging, and what happens when people begin to disappear in plain sight.
And as many of you know, one of the topics I've been speaking about more and more recently is the concept of shrinking.
Becoming smaller in the world because the world no longer seems to notice you're there.
So today we're going to talk about how that happens, why it matters and what each of us can do to create communities where people continue to feel seen, valued and protected throughout every stage of life.
Years ago, I had the privilege of delivering a keynote presentation at the Kentucky Elder Abuse Conference.
I remember preparing for that event and expecting to learn about investigations, legal issues, reporting requirements, and the practical side of protecting older adults.
Story after story about people who had once been deeply connected to their families, churches, workplaces, and even communities, and then suddenly found themselves alone.
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