Town Hall discussion brings issues of elder abuse to forefront, call for more resources

by Kelly Waterhouse

GUELPH

The issue of elder abuse was the focus of a town hall discussion hosted by Guelph MP Frank Valeriote, on Sept. 10 at the Italian-Canadian Club here.

The goal of the discussion, entitled “elder abuse: emotional, physical or financial,” was to help the public spot indicators of elder abuse and identify resources.

The event drew a capacity crowd to hear an experienced  panel of guest speakers who work in community services fields and with advocacy groups.

“I think there is increasing awareness,” noted Sheli O’Connor, vulnerable seniors community service lead with Trellis Mental Health and Development Services. “Five years ago we wouldn’t have got this kind of turnout.”

Crediting the recent media exposure and the federal awareness campaign on national television, Raeann Rideout, co-chair of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, said, “There are more stories out there. People are hearing about it. People didn’t know what it was, but now they do.”

O’Connor says the “growing awareness” means her office gets more calls from neighbours of victims who witness the abuse and know to report it.

But societal changes are also a factor, O’Connor believes. “We didn’t look at or talk about ageism 10 to 12 years ago,” she said.

Judith Wahl, executive director and senior lawyer at the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, agrees.

“Aging stereotypes have really made it a consideration of the unintentional harm,” said Wahl. “I think there is a generational change. People are more likely to speak up now.”

Rideout added, “Especially women. They will question things more.”

Typically, elder abuse was reported by service and care providers, such as nurses or personal support workers. But with awareness and education, this group of professionals are seeing a change in how abuse is reported. Seniors are now speaking up for themselves.

“More senior advocacy groups have started,” explained Rideout.

Added Wahl, “People together are supporting each other. More advocacy is really empowering.”

“This is Frank’s position,” Rideout said, of Valeriote’s efforts to organize the event. “He’s a champion of this cause ... he is bringing people together to talk about it. It’s important. We need leadership.”

In 2012 the Liberal MP, along with an ad hoc group of fellow MPs, established the Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care (PCPCC).

On Nov. 17, the PCPCC released a landmark report concerning the future of Canada’s long-term health care system.

Entitled Not to be Forgotten - Care of Vulnerable Canadians, the report covers issues of seniors’ experiences suffering physical violence, sexual and psychological abuse and neglect.

The document aims to promote awareness while proposing policies to deal with long-term health care issues.

Key to the issue is need for financial resources for support services.

“The funding needs to go to the community agencies to respond and the resources to do so. Funding needs to go into front-line services,” said Wahl.

Janet Craik, director of professional practice with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, noted the importance of working together with police and Community Care Access Centres.

“In Waterloo, there is an elder abuse response team, with bi-party community support,” Craik said.

O’Connor explained that in Wellington County, there is a dedicated police officer in a liaison role, but without further funding, there is not enough manpower to facilitate the needs for this vulnerable sector of the community.

“That’s so important,” she said, describing the liaison built between core service groups and the impact they have in working directly with the police.

“We’ve built a communication with the police because of the dedication and collaboration,” O’Connor said.

Rideout said this kind of collaboration, province-wide, helps front-line people know who to call on the police force.

“People are coming together across the country without the financial resources, and we need the funding,” said O’Connor.

“There is nothing more horrible when you get that phone call from a senior in need and you don’t know the resources.”

She points to needs such as legal resources for seniors who need protection.

The 2011 Census states the population of Canadians 65 and older is 14.8 per cent, up from 13.7 per cent in 2006.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2009, police reported over 2,400 senior victims of violent crime committed by a family member, representing about one-third of all violent incidents committed against older adults.

Spouses and grown children were the most common perpetrators of family violence against senior women, while grown children were most often the perpetrators against senior men.

Valeriote quoted a statistic that between four to ten per cent of seniors will experience elder abuse, yet nearly half will not report it.

“We have the models to deal with elder abuse, now we need the commitment and resources from government to deploy them,” said Valeriote.

“Elder abuse is a silent, but prevailing issue. From here we build the resolve to work together as a community.”

September 21, 2012