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Federal Elder Abuse Initiative
This edition of the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence (NCFV) E-bulletin focuses on the Federal Elder Abuse Initiative (FEAI), a Government of Canada initiative to combat the abuse of older adults* in all its forms – including physical, financial, psychological and sexual, as well as neglect.
The NCFV E-bulletin is a quarterly newsletter for those interested in family violence prevention. It is produced by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), on behalf of the Family Violence Initiative (FVI) of the Government of Canada.
We want to hear from you – please send your comments and feedback to our editor at: ncfv-cnivf@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
* The terms ‘abuse of older adults’, ‘elder abuse’ and ‘abuse of seniors’ are used interchangeably throughout this E-Bulletin.
Abuse of Older Adults in Canada
Abuse of older adults is an important issue for Canadians. It is estimated that somewhere between 4 and 10% of seniors, aged 65 and older, in Canada experience some kind of abuse1. New research conducted by Environics for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada has provided the following information* about Canadians’ awareness of this issue.
- 96% of Canadians think most of the abuse experienced by older adults is hidden or goes undetected.
- 22% of Canadians think a senior they know personally might be experiencing some form of abuse.
- 90% of Canadians feel the abuse experienced by an older person often gets worse over time.
- Raising awareness among seniors about their right to live safely and securely is seen as the most important issue for governments when it comes to elder abuse, with 9 in 10 Canadians (91%) rating it as a high priority.
- 67% of Canadians feel older women are more likely to be abused than older men
- 12% of Canadians have sought out information about a situation or suspected situation of elder abuse or about elder abuse in general.
- Almost 1 in 20 Canadians have searched the Internet for information specifically about elder abuse issues.
The final report, Awareness and Perceptions of Canadians Toward Elder Abuse, is available for download in the electronic collection of Library and Archives Canada.
1 Canada. National Seniors Council, Report of the National Seniors Council on Elder Abuse [online]. Submitted to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, the Minister of Health, and the Secretary of State (Seniors), November 2007 [cited 14 July 2009].
http://www.seniorscouncil.gc.ca/eng/research_publications/elder_abuse/2007/hs4_38/hs4_38.pdf
* Results of a survey of 3,001 Canadians, including 718 seniors aged 65 and older, conducted between May 21 and June 6, 2008
Building Elder Abuse Awareness
In 2008, the Government of Canada announced $13 million over three years to help seniors and others recognize the signs and symptoms of elder abuse and to provide information about available supports. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) leads the development and coordination of the FEAI, in partnership with the Department of Justice Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As part of this initiative, the Government launched a nation-wide advertising campaign on June 15, 2009, called “Elder Abuse – It’s Time To Face The Reality.”
The advertising campaign, led by HRSDC, aims to raise the general level of understanding and awareness of the issue of elder abuse and its many forms. The campaign includes television, Internet and magazine advertisements. The television advertisements aired from June 15, 2009 until early July and are scheduled to air again later this year. Click here to view the advertisement.
Fact sheets on elder abuse and its various forms were also produced for the campaign, including Elder Abuse - It's Time To Face The Reality,Abuse of Seniors, Physical and Sexual Abuse of Seniors, Psychological and Emotional Abuse of Seniors, Financial Abuse of Seniors, and Neglect of Seniors.
In conjunction with the elder abuse awareness advertising campaign, a call for proposals under the FEAI was also launched on June 15, 2009. For more information about this call for proposals, see the funding source section of this E-Bulletin or visit http://www.seniors.gc.ca.
The June 15th launch of the campaign and the call for proposals coincided with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a day set aside to recognize the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue.
During the 4th World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Conference in Paris, France on July 5th, a taped message from the Honourable Marjory LeBreton, Minister of State (Seniors) brought greetings and highlighted Canada's federal elder abuse awareness activities including the national elder abuse awareness campaign and call for proposals. In a strong message, Minister LeBreton urged countries and individuals to recognize elder abuse as a serious issue and take the appropriate actions necessary to stop it.
For more information on the Government of Canada’s elder abuse initiatives, visit seniors.gc.ca or call 1-800-O-Canada (1-800-622-6232). For people using a teletypewriter device (TTY), call 1-800-926-9105.
The NCFV offers resources on family violence, including overview papers, reports, discussion papers, handbooks and videos on family violence issues. To preview our recently released resources, please see our What's New page. NCFV publications are available free of charge, in hard copy or online, in English and French and in alternative formats upon request. To order, please visit our Web site or contact us.
New in the NCFV:
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (Kit) – Abuse Hurts At Any Age
The kit contains the following information sheets developed by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors in Canada.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (Folded Poster) – Abuse Hurts At Any Age
Abuse is Wrong
This booklet was developed by Justice Canada for anyone who is suffering from abuse in a relationship or in a family. It provides information on many aspects of family violence, including the types of abuse or violence that can occur in families; laws and other ways family violence is dealt with in Canada; how to seek help, and what people can expect when they seek help.
Juristat Article—Residents of Canada’s Shelters for Abused Women, 2008
This Statistics Canada publication provides an overview of the results of the biennial “Transition Home Survey.”
Up Against a Wall - Coping with Becoming a Teen When You Have Been Maltreated as a Child
This report presents the findings of a study examining the relationship between childhood maltreatment experiences and the use of alcohol and drugs.
RCMP Crime Prevention Publications:
- Elder Abuse: It’s Time to Face the Reality
- Child Maltreatment and Alcohol
- Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol
- Elder Abuse and Alcohol
- Youth Violence and Alcohol
- Directory of Services for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
The NCFV provides an extensive library reference collection, housed in the Health Canada Departmental Library. The following is a short-list of resources related to the abuse of older adults. A full bibliographic search can be conducted online. Resources may be borrowed through an interlibrary loan through your local public, academic or institutional library:
Aboriginal Elder Abuse in Canada
by Claudette Dumont-Smith
Ottawa: Aboriginal Healing Foundation, 2002, 19 p.
Available: http://www.ahf.ca/pages/download/28_37
© Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
Abuse and Neglect of Vulnerable Adult Populations
by Joanne Marlatt Otto
Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute, 2005, 464 p.
Call no.: ncfv/HV6250.25/A167/2005
Publisher's description: http://www.civicresearchinstitute.com/anap.html
Adult Victims of Abuse Protocols
by New Brunswick Dept. of Health and Community Services
Fredericton: N.B. Dept. of Family and Community Services, 2005, 69 p.
Available: http://www.gnb.ca/0017/Protection/Adult/index-e.asp
http://www.gnb.ca/0017/Protection/Adult/AdultProtocol-e.pdf
The Clinical Management of Elder Abuse
by Georgia Jean Anetzberger
New York: Haworth, 2005, 180 p.
Call no.: ncfv/HV6626.3/C641/2005
Publisher's description: http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?sku=&isbn=9780789019462
Crime and Elder Abuse: An Integrated Perspective
by Brian K. Payne
Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 2005, 315 p.
Call no.: ncfv/HV6626.3/P346/2005
Publisher's description: http://www.ccthomas.com/details.cfm?P_ISBN13=9780398075668
Elder Abuse: A Public Health Perspective
by Randal W. Summers & Allan M. Hoffman
Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2006, 179 p.
Call no.: ncfv/HV6626.3/E37h/2006
Publisher's description: http://www.apha.org/about/news/booksreleases/Epidemic+of+Physical+and+Emotional+Abuse+of+the+Elderly+Focus+of+New+APHA+Book.htm
Elder Abuse: The Hidden Crime
by Judith A. Wahl
Toronto: Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, 2007, 34 p.
Available: http://www.cleo.on.ca/english/pub/onpub/PDF/seniors/elderab.pdf
Elder Abuse and Mistreatment: Policy, Practice, and Research
by Joanna M. Mellor & Patricia Brownell
New York: Haworth, 2006
Call no.: ncfv/HV6626.3/E37mel/2006
Publisher's description: http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?sku=&isbn=9780789028235
Elder Abuse and Neglect: What Physicians Can and Should Do
by Mahnaz Ahman & Mark S. Lachs
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 69, 10 (Oct 2002): 801-808
Available: http://www.ccjm.org/content/69/10/801.full.pdf+html
Copyright © 2009 by the Cleveland Clinic.
Elder Abuse Detection and Intervention: A Collaborative Approach
by Bonnie Brandl
New York: Springer, 2007, 307 p.
Call no.: ncfv/HV6626.3/E37bra/2007
Publisher's description: http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=3114x
Elder Abuse Prevention: Emerging Trends and Promising Strategies
by Lisa Nerenberg
New York: Springer, 2007, 320 p.
Call no.: ncfv/HV6626.3/N444e/2007
Publisher's description: http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=03278
Outlook 2007: Promising Approaches in the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults in Community Settings in Canada
by the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA)
Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, 2007, 65 p.
Available: http://www.cnpea.ca/Promising%20Approaches%20Final%20%202007.pdf
The information provided here is copyright protected. You have permission to use the information for non-commercial purposes as long as you identify CNPEA as the source.
The Prevention of Elder Abuse Policy and Program Lens (PEAPPL)
by the Prevention of Elder Abuse Working Group
Toronto: Ontario Seniors' Secretariat, 2009, 25 p.
Available: http://www.ontarioremembers.ca/seniors/english/programs/elderabuse/docs/ElderAbuse_Engl_web.pdf
Preventing and Responding to Abuse in Long-Term Care Facilities: Lessons Learned from
the Abuse Prevention in Long-Term Care (APLTC) Project
by Wanda Jamieson & Liz Hart
Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada, 2004, 18 p.
Available: http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/collection_2007/phac-aspc/H72-21-189-2004E.pdf
Seniors as Victims of Crime: 2004 and 2005
by Lucie Ogrodnik; Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics
Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2007, 21 p.
Available: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=85F0033MWE2007014&lang=enghttp://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85f0033m/85f0033m2007014-eng.htm
In collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, the NCFV offers an extensive collection of videos that address family violence. Videos may be borrowed through NFB partner public libraries across Canada or through an interlibrary loan through your local public, academic or institutional library. To obtain a complete list of videos, libraries and distributors, please contact us or visit our online video catalogue.
Recent additions to the Video Collection:
Since the NCFV catalogue was published in 2005, the NCFV has added 26 new videos in English and 16 new French titles to the collection. For a description of these new videos please view the Addendum to the Video Catalogue online now.
NCFV videos addressing the abuse of older adults include:
Elder Abuse is Your Business - What Can You Do About it
This video focuses on elder abuse and demonstrates how it can be difficult to detect. The video shows how the abuser may be a close relative, a spouse, or another trusted individual. It also points out that the abuse may be emotional, financial, physical or in the form of neglect. It addresses why some older adults are reluctant to seek help. This video was filmed in Alberta, however, the messages are applicable nationally. (2003)
What’s Age Got To Do With It?
This video examines the impact of various forms of abuse on older adult women, 50 years and older, such as abuse within intimate relationships as well as abuse by adult children. A variety of women, including those with disabilities, are depicted, with a range of social values, upbringing, experiences and health concerns. (2003)
Key Dates
October 1, 2009 - International Day of Older Persons
In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 the International Day of Older Persons. In 2002, the 2nd World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and to promote the development of a society for all ages.
The International Day of Older Persons aims to foster international public awareness of the important social role of seniors in society and the benefits of intergenerational respect and support. Click here for suggested activities to observe the Day and suggested themes for activities.
November 3 to 4, 2009 – Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse Conference
The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA) annual conference will be held on November 3rd – 4th, 2009 in Toronto, Ontario. This national conference welcomes participants from across Canada to participate and present.
The theme of this year’s conference is “National Perspectives on Elder Abuse: Join the Conversation.” The objective of the conference is to facilitate knowledge exchange amongst stakeholders from across Canada about “promising approaches” in elder abuse prevention and intervention.
The conference themes will include legislation, justice system responses, legal and law practices, intervention practices, research, community and health programs, education and awareness initiatives and governmental strategies.
Additional information about the conference can be found at: http://www.onpea.org
August 3 to 4, 2009 – A Journey to Healing: Finding the Path, Long Beach, CA, USA
http://www.dvinstitute.org/healing/index.html
August 17 to 20, 2009 – 21st Annual Crimes Against Children Conference, Dallas, Texas, USA
http://cacconference.org/dcac/p-15.aspx
August 23 to 26, 2009 – 5th World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights, Halifax, NS
http://www.childjustice.org/html/2009.htm
August 23 to 27, 2009 – The 35th Annual NOVA North American Victim Assistance Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
http://www.trynova.org/conference/2009/
August 23 to 28, 2009 – The World Society of Victimology's 13th International Symposium on Victimology, Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
http://www.tokiwa.ac.jp/isv2009/index.html
September 17 to 18, 2009 – 4th Milestones Meeting of Global Campaign for Violence Prevention, Geneva, Switzerland
http://www.who.int/entity/violence_injury_prevention/violence/global_campaign/newsletter/13/en/index.html
September 21 to 26, 2009 – 14th International Conference on Violence, Abuse & Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA
http://www.ivatcenters.org/index.asp
September 29 to October 1, 2009 – Northern Approaches and Responses to Victims of Crime Conference, Yellowknife, NWT
http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/pcvi-cpcv/cal/index.html
October 8 to 10, 2009 – Fifth National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence, New Orleans, LA, USA
http://endabuse.org/content/features/detail/775/
October 28 to 30, 2009 – Victorian Offender Treatment Association (VOTA), Melbourne, Australia
http://www.vota.org.au/conference09/conference.html
November 9 to 10, 2009 – MMFC Research Day 2009 – The face of sexual violence in the 21st Century: Naming the unspoken, Fredericton, NB
http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/arts/centres/mmfc/news/index.html
November 12 to 13, 2009 – Colloque: Les savoirs en action. Pour une utilisation optimale des connaissances, Montréal, QC
http://www.criviff.qc.ca/cms/index.php?menu=28
November 15 to 18, 2009 – 8th ISPCAN Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Perth, Western Australia
http://www.apccan2009.org.au/
November 15 to 21, 2009 – Seventh Annual Bullying Awareness Week: Theme: "Stand Up! (to bullying)", Cochrane, AB
http://www.bullyingawarenessweek.org/
November 19 to 20, 2009 – RESOLVE Research Day 2009 – Healing from violence and abuse, Regina, SK
http://www.uregina.ca/resolve
The NCFV E-bulletin invites provincial and territorial partners to highlight their initiatives as well as provide information, updates and other news.
Ontario is taking steps to help eliminate elder abuse by providing, for the first time in the province’s history, annual operating funding for prevention initiatives related to older adults. On June 15, 2009, the Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister Responsible for Seniors, announced that the province is investing $900,000 annually to provide the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA) with long-term stability to better assist victims of elder abuse in communities across the province.
With a 2008 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, ONPEA, in conjunction with the Assaulted Women’s Help Line, operates the Seniors Safety Line that offers support to victims of elder abuse across the province 24 hours per day, seven days per week, in over 150 languages. The Seniors Safety Line can be reached at 1-866-299-1011.
Find out more about how Ontario is helping seniors at: http://www.ontarioseniors.ca
Learn more about ONPEA’s services for victims of elder abuse at: http://www.onpea.org
Justice Canada – New Elder Abuse Resources
As part of the national advertising campaign on elder abuse, the Department of Justice has produced four brochures to help older adults identify potential fraud. The brochures are entitled Door-to-Door Sales Fraud, Credit Card Fraud, Investment Fraud and Lottery Fraud. They include tips on how seniors can protect themselves from fraud, and information on the supports available. The brochures are available online at: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fv-vf/pub/elder-aines/index.html.
The Department of Justice has also produced a paper entitled, Abuse of Older Adults: Department of Justice Canada Overview Paper. This paper describes the various forms of elder abuse; the factors that contribute to its occurrence; the consequences for victims; and the legal framework to respond to it. The overview paper is available at: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fv-vf/facts-info/old-age/index.html.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada – Elder Abuse Awareness Projects
On February 23, 2009, the Government of Canada announced support for 16 projects across Canada under the New Horizons for Seniors Program. These projects represent an investment of more than $4,000,000 to help reduce the incidence of abuse against older adults across the country. Some examples of projects include:
- the Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island will develop and distribute legal information and resources to seniors, their families, caregivers and other service providers across the province;
- the Fédération des aînés et aînées francophones du Canada will develop a number of workshops and an awareness campaign development kit adapted to the specific needs of Francophone seniors in minority settings outside Quebec; and
- the British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centers will develop awareness raising and educational materials and resources specifically targeted to Aboriginal people to help reduce the incidence of elder abuse within their communities.
Click here for a complete listing of approved projects.
Federal Elder Abuse Initiative Call for Proposals – Apply Now!
On June 15, 2009, the Government of Canada launched a Federal Elder Abuse Initiative Call for Proposals. The call invites professional associations to apply for funding to adapt, customize and disseminate elder abuse materials for use throughout their organizations. Through the New Horizons for Seniors Program, this call for proposals will fund up to 10 national and Quebec professional associations. The maximum funding is $200,000 per project, over 24 months.
The overall goal of this funding is to increase awareness and understanding of elder abuse among association members (frontline service providers) who come into contact with seniors on a regular basis and enhance their capacity to respond to situations of abuse. This will be achieved by carrying out the following project objectives:
- to draw on baseline elder abuse awareness information materials supplied by HRSDC, as well as provincial/territorial governments or other appropriate sources, to develop information sessions for association members; and
- to make service providers aware of the laws and regulations related to elder abuse within their province/territory and to supply them with information on elder abuse community resources.
The deadline for applications is July 24, 2009.
To learn more about the Federal Elder Abuse Initiative call for proposals or to apply for funding, visit http://www.seniors.gc.ca
Introducing Charmaine Spencer
Charmaine Spencer is a Research Associate with the Simon Fraser Gerontology Research Centre and an adjunct professor with the Gerontology Department at Simon Fraser University. She has been conducting research on vulnerable populations of older adults for over fifteen years, including abuse and neglect of older adults in community and institutional settings. She examines this important social issue from several lenses, including gender, health, law, ethics, and public policy.
Over the years, Ms. Spencer has produced several documents for the federal government on abuse of older adults including analyses of the social costs of abuse and a discussion paper on institutional abuse in the mid 1990s. In 2003, she co-authored an environmental snapshot of abuse and neglect of older adults in Canada for the Federal/Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Seniors Safety and Security. She has carried out over 10 separate research projects on various aspects of abuse and neglect of older adults, and worked with community groups on several more. Ms. Spencer has published over 75 community and multidisciplinary academic papers on abuse in later life.
Much of her work represents Canadian and international “firsts,” such as the first in-depth look at financial abuse among older adults. Recent research has looked at immigration policy and abuse among sponsored seniors, mental competency issues and abuse issues in various housing settings.
Ms. Spencer also enjoys working collaboratively with others in this area. She is a co-researcher and the first author of two major documents prepared by the national project “A Way Forward: Promising Approaches in Abuse Prevention in Institutions” funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is currently working on an environmental scan and critical analysis of senior abuse screening, assessment and intervention tools for Canadian health care providers as a key activity of the Public Health Agency’s component of the Federal Elder Abuse Initiative.
Charmaine Spencer is co-Chair of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, and is Canada’s representative to the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
Ms. Spencer can be reached at cspencer@shaw.ca
National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE)
The National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE) is a national network of researchers and practitioners involved in the care of older adults through medicine, nursing, social work and other allied health professionals concerned with the care of older adults. The overarching goal of NICE is the dissemination of research and best practices for the care of older adults.
The Network recently received funding from the New Horizons for Seniors Program, under its Elder Abuse Funding Awareness component, to undertake the NICE Elder Abuse Team: Knowledge to Action project. This three-year national project has two central components: (1) the development and dissemination of tools for detection, intervention and prevention of elder abuse and (2) seniors' leadership and advocacy.
The Elder Abuse Team, comprised of older adults with expertise in elder abuse and neglect, and experts from numerous disciplines and professions, is currently developing the following tools:
- Elder Abuse Suspicion Index
- Caregiver Abuse Screen
- Indicators of Abuse Screen
- En Main/In Hand
Practical understanding regarding the use of the tools will occur through team presentations led by seniors at forums held in communities across Canada. Click here to read more about upcoming dissemination forums in August and September 2009.
For more information on NICE and the NICE Elder Abuse project, visit: http://www.nicenet.ca/
The NCFV’s September 2009 E-bulletin will focus on Family Violence and Substance Abuse.
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Content of the NCFV E-Bulletin is provided as an information-sharing service; inclusion does not represent endorsement by the PHAC or FVI member departments.
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