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Join BC’s 15-member Council to Reduce Elder Abuse in Wearing Purple on June 15th
to promote World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Vancouver, British Columbia. June 15th is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the 15 members of BC’s Council to Reduce Elder Abuse (CREA) will be wearing something purple to commemorate this day and to shine a light on this important, yet seldom discussed, issue.
“The abuse of older adults - of our grandparents, neighbours, aunts, uncles or older friends - is something people rarely think about, or speak about,” says Martha Jane Lewis, CREA Chair and Executive Director of the BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support, “but each year thousands of older British Columbians experience some form of abuse. We receive hundreds of calls every month at the Seniors Abuse and Information Line (1 866 437-1940) from people seeking help,” she says.
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By Heather Campbell
In April 2016, the United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons reiterated the need to mainstream a rights-based approach to ageing in general, and to dementia in particular. The shift is needed because the rights of older people and individuals with dementia have traditionally been a low priority at both the national and international level.
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By Alana Prochuk
Elder abuse and violence against women aren't separate issues, and we believe that they must not be separate conversations. That’s why West Coast LEAF (Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund) and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law are offering a free webinar for front-line service providers to explore the legal challenges that are most likely to impact older women in BC who have experienced violence.
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By Laura Bailey
The Community Elder Abuse Prevention Committee of Thunder Bay, Ontario, with funding from New Horizons Canada, has developed a series of powerful videos about elder abuse. The Victims' Voices videos present the stories of real victims of elder financial abuse perpetrated by individuals who preyed on seniors. In the hope of protecting other seniors, these brave victims generously agreed to be interviewed by the Thunder Bay Police. Using those interviews, we will share their stories.
Our aim is to spread awareness of the financial abuse of older adults and to assess the effectiveness of these videos in educating the public. We are collecting this information using a 5-minute survey, available at this link, along with the two 5-minute videos.
Please take a few minutes to watch the videos and take the survey. We are hoping you will help spread the word about this project. Posting the link below on your website or emailing the link and description to your email list subscribers would be appreciated. Our target audiences are both older adults and those who care for them.
For more information, contact Laura Bailey at
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By Jenny Ruan
Gao came to Canada five years ago. She was sponsored by her son, Henry. He and his wife May had twin baby girls. Gao was excited to meet her first grandchildren and welcomed the opportunity to care for them when her daughter-in-law returned to work. Consistent with immigration policy, Gao’s son signed an undertaking with the government of Canada to be financially responsible for his mother for a period of ten years.
Soon after arriving in Canada, Gao realizes May expects a lot of her. In addition to caring for the girls all day, Gao must cook all the meals, and do all the grocery shopping, housework and laundry. May often reminds Gao that it was very expensive to bring her to Canada and cover her food, housing and health care.
There are now four grandchildren. Although Gao feels blessed with such a beautiful family, she is increasingly exhausted by all the housework. She has developed health issues and has no time to go to the doctor regularly. Her doctor wants her to rest during the day, but this is impossible with the caregiving responsibilities she has. Her daughter-in-law is a very conservative spender. She will not pay for the new eye glasses Gao needs, or Gao’s blood pressure medicine. Gao longs to take an English class at the community centre or practice Tai Chi with the women in the park in her neighbourhood, but May says she needs Gao’s help all day. The Minister in the church approaches Gao to inquire about her when he notices her decline in health. He is very kind but Gao is afraid to tell him what is going on at home. She worries that her son will be embarrassed or that May will have her deported.
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