Pasadena Innovates in Elder Abuse Prevention With Digital Bus Shelter Displays

In a pioneering move to combat elder abuse, Pasadena’s Elderly and Dependent Adult Liaisons team has partnered with the city’s Department of Transportation to display public service announcements on digital bus shelters.

The initiative intends to reach a wider audience and encourage reporting of elder abuse incidents, according to Assistant City Manager Nicholas G. Rodriguez. 

Pasadena Elderly and Dependent Adult Liaisons, which stands for PEDAL, comprises members from various city departments, USC’s Keck School of Medicine, Huntington Hospital, and WISE & Healthy Aging.

The team focuses on improving the quality of life for Pasadena’s elder community, including more than 3,000 residents in over 100 skilled nursing and long-term care facilities.

The Department of Transportation installed the digital display, part of a bus shelter digital display demonstration project, at the end of July on Colorado Boulevard at Garfield Avenue.

The two-sided LCD screen is angled for easy viewing by pedestrians and motorists, displaying PSAs that focus on elder safety, abuse, and neglect.

“Digital bus shelter advertising offers an easily configurable, highly flexible, and contemporary way to display round-the-clock messaging with next-day content placement,” Rodriguez said.

The PSAs, displayed in both Spanish and English, cycle in 15-second rotations alongside other public service announcements and commercial content, providing a vitally important outreach component for the community.

This approach provides a customizable opportunity to move away from traditional static printed paper messaging and associated $75 print cost for each display.

Elder abuse awareness is crucial, as the majority of incidents go unreported due to victims’ fear, embarrassment, or lack of resources.

The collaboration between Pasadena Elderly and Dependent Adult Liaisons and the Department of Transportation represents a significant step in modernizing public outreach efforts. It demonstrates Pasadena’s commitment to protecting its vulnerable elderly population.