BACKGROUND

The Standing Committee on the Status of Women held 8 meetings on abuse of older women, and received testimony from 30 witnesses. Key themes that emerged during these hearings focussed on increasing awareness, the forms of abuse, and preventing and responding to abuse of older women. Throughout the hearings, the Committee learned of promising practices that have been developed by a range of sectors. Each of these themes is addressed in greater detail in this report.

It should also be noted that the Committee heard evidence from a wide variety of practitioners about why older women may be loathe to report abuse; this theme runs through all of this report.

It should also be noted that the Committee heard that several groups among the general population of older women are at greater risk of abuse and/or may have less access to either the supports to report elder abuse or services to assist them in escaping abuse.  While more details are provided about these groups throughout the report, the terms “at-risk” or “target groups” include the following groups: Aboriginal women, recent immigrant women and their children, women with disabilities, rural women, and women whose first language is either a minority language or a non-official language.

AWARENESS

Witnesses emphasized the need for greater awareness of elder abuse, focussing on current and recent awareness campaigns, gaps in awareness, and recommendations on increasing awareness.

A.  Awareness Campaigns

The Federal Elder Abuse Awareness Initiative, with both its promotional and research components, was recommended by the first report issued by the National Seniors’ Council. This report was based on a study that took Council members across Canada to hear from service providers and other experts.[1]

From 2008 to 2011, the Initiative both created public awareness materials (including television commercials)[2] and provided significant funding for research to fill knowledge gaps.[3] Several of the witnesses before the Committee reported on the results of research funded through this initiative, addressed in greater detail below.

A second federal program, the New Horizons for Seniors program, has also funded awareness programs, including a focus on financial abuse,[4] addressed in greater detail in a special section of this report. Projects that produced materials for particular newcomer groups were also funded under this program.[5]

However, some witnesses told the Committee that despite the awareness initiatives, elder abuse remains a hidden problem, due in part to reluctance by victims to report the abuse:

A lot of older women don't want to report abuse because it is done by adult children or their spouses and they fear losing those relationships. For a lot of seniors who were at home raising their families, that has been their whole life, and to separate from those relationships is a huge issue for them.[6]

Witnesses suggested that targeting the campaign could be helpful. For example, witnesses emphasized the importance of making children more aware of the issue:

Education, of course, must also include youth-focused programs, for it is the children and youth of today who will truly change the face of elder abuse by challenging the beliefs that this is acceptable behaviour.[7]

Recommendation 1: That awareness programs be targeted across the age spectrum, including adult children and youth.[8]

The Committee heard that the federal awareness initiative was not as successful among Aboriginal women and their families, and that individual Aboriginal women in their communities had developed their own approaches in their own communities.[9] The Committee also heard about the lack of awareness of services and information available to immigrant communities.[10]

Recommendation 2: That awareness campaigns be customized for particular populations, including Aboriginal communities and recent immigrants to Canada.

B.  Gaps

1.  Data on Incidence and Prevalence

Scholars, advocates, staff of service and police organizations, and federal officials all told the Committee that the lack of a common definition across disciplines and professions and the dearth of data with respect to the incidence and prevalence of elder abuse posed challenges in creating greater awareness among their own groups and in the wider public.[11]

Many witnesses referred to the World Health Organization definition of elder abuse as a good working definition. At the Committee’s first hearing, a Public Health Agency of Canada official cited the definition:

The definition that the Public Health Agency employs to define elder abuse comes from the World Health Organization: “a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.”[12]

While witnesses agreed that this was often the basis for definitions used by many jurisdictions both domestically and internationally, the Committee heard that there are variations in provincial legislation and case law.[13]

The researcher whose work has focussed on common definitions and measurement told the Committee that definition and measures matter because they determine what “counts” in prevalence and incidence studies, how legislation is drafted to address the problem, and the scope and range of services required to prevent and address elder abuse.[14] This was echoed by other witnesses.[15]

At the time of the hearing, the research project described above had not discerned a consensus definition. Since that time, a wide range of stakeholders, facilitated by the research team, reached consensus on the following definition: “Mistreatment of older adults refers to actions and/or behaviours, or lack of actions and/or behaviours, that cause harm or risk of harm within a trusting relationship. Mistreatment includes abuse and neglect of older adults.”[16]

As noted above, the Committee heard that elder abuse is under-reported, not only to law enforcement agencies, but also to service providers.[17] While some survey data on victimization and reporting of crimes are available, they do not provide information specific to abuse of elders.[18]

Recommendation 3: That government encourage the development and adoption of common definitions for elder abuse as well as survey instruments so that accurate information can be collected about the incidence and prevalence of elder abuse in Canada.[19]

The Committee heard from witnesses that women in some groups are multiply vulnerable to abuse, including women whose first language is not an official or majority language, women with disabilities, and First Nations women, especially on-reserve,[20] but without data, the extent of abuse among these groups cannot be quantified.

Recommendation 4: That surveys on the incidence and prevalence of elder abuse in Canada include special attention to at-risk populations.[21]

2.  Resources to Respond to Heightened Awareness

The Committee heard that awareness campaigns, including the federal advertisements, have been reported to increase calls to law enforcement officers and service providers.[22] As described by one witness,

The federal elder abuse initiative over the past few years has helped build awareness, but sometimes at a cost to communities who have few, if any, resources to support that awareness and to help individuals. Awareness and appropriate resources need to go hand in hand.[23]

Several witnesses highlighted the need to provide adequate resources to meet the service needs of increased reporting in response to awareness campaigns: “Public awareness of the issue has come a long way, but now we need to focus on coordinating services. If people are told to reach out and ask for help, they need the services to support them.”[24]

Recommendation 5: That awareness campaigns include information about available resources.[25]

The Committee also heard that older women themselves needed to be more aware of both the issue and the options available to them if they are the victims of violence:

Legal and social policy should not prioritize protectionist goals at the expense of undermining women's autonomy and personal power; rather, legal and policy strategies should be developed through a lens that focuses on empowering older women survivors of abuse. How do we do this? Some examples are: raising awareness of options; increasing access to services [and] allowing women to make choices about what steps to take …[26]

Recommendation 6: That service providers in agencies serving seniors work to empower senior women.[27]

3.  Tools for Professionals and Other Service Providers

While the population becomes more aware of elder abuse, several witnesses told the Committee that service providers are often unaware of the risk factors for elder abuse, and do not know how to respond when they suspect abuse. In particular, the Committee heard of this gap among social workers,[28] health professionals,[29] lawyers[30] and other professional and occupational groups.

The Committee also heard that many front-line service organizations are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the needs of older clients, including victims of abuse:

[T]he needs of older women can be different from those of their younger counterparts and communities and organizations should be funded to create resource agencies and programs that provide support and assistance to older women who have experienced abuse, with particular emphasis on making those resources accessible to older women who are isolated in some way.[31]

Recommendation 7: That steps be taken to encourage all seniors-serving organizations, e.g., banks or hospitals, to be equipped to respond to an older person reporting abuse.[32]

While the Committee heard that training for police officers is being provided by police organizations and other partners,[33] another witness suggested that a national forum of police officers would assist in providing consistent responses across Canada.[34]

In addition, the Committee heard that the recent federal awareness initiative provided funds to six national professional organizations to develop such tools. These organizations included occupational therapists, social workers, and nurses.[35] In addition, the most recent call for proposals under the New Horizons for Seniors program has a focus on training “front-line personnel working with seniors, those who are best positioned to identify possible situations of abuse.”[36]

FORMS OF ABUSE

Witnesses told the Committee of multiple forms of abuse: physical abuse is the most commonly understood, but financial abuse occurs the most frequently.[37] Each is addressed more fully in the following section. Other forms of abuse were noted, and are addressed in a third section below.

A.  Physical Abuse and Neglect

The Committee heard evidence that although Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey on victimization of violence indicates that men and women are equally likely to be abused physically,[38] there is a differential impact on women. As one witness pointed out, the number of older women is and will continue to be greater than the number of older men,[39] so that even if the rate of victimization is the same, the number of abused women will be greater than the number of abused men.

Similarly, the Committee heard that as women live longer, they are more likely to have some disability, making them more vulnerable to injury and abuse.[40] Another witness told the Committee that two-thirds of calls coming into agencies dealing with elder abuse in Canada are from women.[41]

The Committee also heard that “when women are abused it’s far worse than when it happens to men.”[42] Several witnesses cited homicide statistics, which showed that most women who were victims of homicide were killed by their spouses, and that women were murdered at a much higher rate than men.[43]

According to witnesses, economic status and financial dependency could be contributors to abuse and to women’s reticence to report any abuse.[44] Similarly, witnesses told the Committee that a lack of housing alternatives and/or fear of being institutionalized could be deterrents in reporting abuse.[45]

Witnesses also told Committee members that the perpetrators of physical abuse were most often family members,[46] but could also be staff of long-term care facilities for those no longer living independently.[47] Domestic abuse and abuse in group-living settings are each addressed in greater detail below.

1.  Domestic Abuse

Witnesses reminded the Committee that for some older women living independently, the physical abuse would be “domestic abuse cases … grown old.”[48] The Committee heard that violence at the hands of a spouse “remains the most common form of violence perpetrated against elderly women.”[49]

However, the Committee also heard that these women are often caught between two systems: those services that address domestic violence and those that address elder abuse more generally.[50] For example, one witness said that women’s shelters “have lacked ... an understanding of some of the dynamics of intimate partner abuse after retirement.”[51]

Recommendation 8: That conversations between the domestic violence and elder abuse support services be facilitated.

Witnesses reported that shelters providing safety to women escaping domestic violence aren’t always appropriate to older women, who may have mobility issues or health needs that can’t be accommodated in shelters serving women in general.[52]

Recommendation 9: That shelters consider the needs of older women, including greater accessibility for mobility impairments.[53]

Family members were also among the most probable perpetrators of other kinds of abuse, according to a wide range of witnesses.[54]

2.  Abuse and Neglect in Group-living Setting

Witnesses told Committee members that both residents (or patients) and staff may be perpetrators and victims of violence in long-term care facilities or other group-living facilities for older people.[55]

The Committee heard that abuse by staff may have its roots in insufficient training[56] or inadequate resources to meet the needs of residents or patients.[57]

When asked about what changes could be made to the health system to improve outcomes for seniors, one witness pointed to the need for medication in home care and long-term care facilities to be covered by a pharmacare program.[58]

B.  Financial Abuse

According to many witnesses, financial abuse is the most common form of elder abuse.[59] One federal official described it as “one of the more insidious forms of abuse against seniors.”[60]

By way of explanation, some witnesses pointed to the dependence of some women on men for financial resources and the resulting fear of reporting the abuse they might be experiencing as contributing factors to financial abuse. This same dependence increases their vulnerability to financial abuse.[61] As described by one witness, “because of having fewer financial resources, a lot of older women can be even more greatly affected by financial abuse.”[62]

Another witness described the additional factor of low levels of financial literacy among some older women: “Though both men and women can be victimized, older women are particularly vulnerable with their general lack of financial literacy.”[63]

Recommendation 10: That support be provided to encourage greater financial literacy among Canadians, especially those who are low income.

Witnesses described the absence of basic necessities as a symptom of financial abuse[64] and suggested that isolation of the victim may be both a symptom of financial abuse,[65] and a factor increasing the risk of financial abuse.[66]

One witness described a direct link between income and risk of abuse: “The economic vulnerability of older women that makes them more likely to suffer abuse.”[67] A provincial official appearing before the Committee also flagged the importance of “enough financial benefits so that they can live independently as long as possible.”[68]

The Committee heard that a 2007 federal-provincial-territorial forum, hosted by ministers responsible for seniors, included a focus on financial abuse, and that a 2008 forum focussed exclusively on this form of abuse.[69] One witness in particular focussed on the importance of receipt of Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement benefits to financial adequacy for elderly women, and called on both the federal and the provincial/territorial governments to collaborate to ensure automatic application for these benefits.[70]

Recommendation 11: That the federal government work with provincial counterparts to ensure automatic application for the Guaranteed Income Supplement available to older women.

C.  Other Forms of Abuse

In addition to physical abuse and financial abuse, the Committee heard of numerous other forms, including sexual, psychological, emotional, neglect, violations of human and civil rights, and institutional abuse.[71] In addition, the Committee heard of abuse of medication, particularly among Aboriginal communities, where prescription drugs have become the preferred substance for those addicted. A corollary was financial abuse as a means to acquire other drugs from dealers.[72]

RESPONSES TO AND PREVENTION OF ABUSE

While witnesses had specific examples of how their agency responded to and prevented elder abuse, service-providers, government officials and researchers identified two broad themes: the significant role for law enforcement, and the critical requirement of collaboration among agencies to both prevention and response.

A.  Law Enforcement and Litigation

1.  Federal legislation

 Witnesses told the Committee that several sections of the Criminal Code relate to elder abuse. In addition to specific sections of the Code that might apply depending on the nature of the abuse, the Committee heard about the section that permits judges to take the age of the victim into account in sentencing. However, in response to questioning, a witness reported that research had shown how rarely age was mentioned in sentencing for crimes related to elder abuse, particularly in cases involving sexual assault.[73] However, taken together, witness testimony was divided on the sufficiency of the Criminal Code to respond to elder abuse.[74]

Recommendation 12: That Parliament support tougher sentences for those who abuse seniors.

Some witnesses suggested that lawyers and others in the criminal justice system may simply not be knowledgeable about how existing laws can be used to argue cases with respect to elder abuse. As described by one witness, “there is a need for awareness, not just among police forces, but among lawyers, around what can be done with existing legislation.”[75]

Recommendation 13: That awareness be increased among law enforcement officials about how existing laws can be used in elder abuse cases.[76]

The Committee was also advised to consider federal legislation beyond the Criminal Code that can have an impact on the incidence and severity of elder abuse. In particular, the Committee was advised that privacy concerns often trump the safety of women experiencing abuse,[77] although the law in most jurisdictions makes exceptions in the case of suspected danger. As an example, one witness flagged the pending Bill C-12, one clause of which could have the unintended consequence of informing family members of suspected financial abuse, when the family member may be the perpetrator of the abuse.[78]

There was also a range of views and opinions on the merits of mandatory reporting, whether in long-term care facilities or more generally, according to witness testimony.[79]

2.  The legal system

As described in greater detail below, many challenges face law enforcement with respect to investigating crimes of elder abuse. However, some witnesses focussed on the legal system itself as a part of the problem in responding appropriately to elder abuse.

In reporting on the National Seniors Council research on elder abuse, its chair noted that the legal system itself can become a barrier to pursuing legal remedies:

[O]ne of the things we found was that the legal system is so complex it scares certain older people from complaining and from going before the courts. They are scared of the system. So one of the things we mentioned in our report is to try to simplify this and make it more accessible for older people. As we heard, a lot of people were so scared of the legal system that they didn't complain about their abuse.[80]

Another witness described elder abuse as “under-prosecuted:”

[W]hen it comes to abuse of seniors, particularly women who are seniors, it's not only underreported, it's under-prosecuted, so that the numbers are really quite deceiving in terms of prosecuting.[81]

The Committee also heard that some aspects of elder abuse, for example, financial abuse, might not be seen as a criminal matter at all: “The complainant is commonly advised it's a civil matter, when clearly it is appropriate for criminal intervention, especially in cases of financial abuse.”[82]

Witnesses also told the Committee that the lack of access to legal aid would also serve as a deterrent to women pursuing legal remedies to abuse.[83]

3.  Challenges for law enforcement

The Committee was told that competing demands for resources combined with officers who may not be familiar with all the complexities of elder abuse could contribute to the low level of prosecution of elder abuse cases.[84] One police officer said that officers often fail to see a crime in elder abuse.[85] In addition, witnesses said that the time required of officers in such prosecutions was a deterrent to proceeding, particularly with complex cases.

One witness offered an example of the time required to investigate a case of financial abuse:

It was a case of multiple offences by a [personal support worker] who was financially abusing seniors. They were all small amounts of financial abuse. Cumulatively, she had stolen thousands. To do that investigation on all those small bits, the police don't necessarily get the supports to do that.[86]

However, police witnesses at the national, provincial and local level all described the unwillingness of many victims to press charges against the perpetrators of abuse, particularly when that person is a trusted family member. Rather, it was suggested, victims simply want the abuse to stop.[87]

In these cases, and in others, witnesses said it is important that police work with networks of other service providers and professionals to provide alternative ways to address the abuse.[88] In addition, the Committee heard that victim services of police operations can provide support even when charges are not laid.[89]

Recommendation 14: That police forces be encouraged to establish and maintain close connections with local service providers for the elderly.

Other witnesses described the unwillingness to report to any agency, fearing the loss of relationships that are important to them or retaliation by the perpetrators.[90]

B.  Collaboration and Coordination

Witnesses described competing priorities among service providers, highlighting possible contradictions between protecting older women and supporting them to make their own decisions.[91]

For example, one witness described the risk in seeking legal remedies, and their possible impact on the autonomy of women:

One of the challenges with a legal approach is that what we see thus far in Canada is that for a lot of the legislation and policy that identify remedies and circumstances of risk and abuse, they're often protective remedies, protective measures that take control, independence, and power away from the vulnerable woman.[92]

Another described this dichotomy, citing “a real tension... between a risk-and-protection scenario versus an empowerment scenario.”[93]

Recommendation 15: That responses to elder abuse respect “women’s autonomy and personal power.”[94]

Despite these different approaches with respect to protection and autonomy, witnesses from all sectors emphasized the importance of collaboration among all partners, and the need for locally determined solutions to issues of elder abuse in each community.[95] Officials from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada told the Committee that the most recent call for proposals by the New Horizons for Seniors program focussed on such cross-disciplinary work.[96]

A consistent theme during this study was the need for cross-sectoral collaboration. From the law enforcement agencies, the Committee heard of the need for such coordination, particularly when pursuing prosecution is either not feasible or not desired by the victim. From the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Committee heard:

We know that the police play a vital role in protecting seniors from abuse, but we also know that we cannot do this alone. We rely on the wisdom and experience of those who work with seniors fulltime to assist us ... We rely heavily on community experts who have a wealth of experience that we quite often tap into.[97]

From the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Committee heard the same message:

While the RCMP takes great strides to promote elder abuse awareness and prevention, we recognize that we simply cannot do it alone. We stress the importance of establishing networks and/or formal partnerships with external community partners that can assist us in conducting research on elder abuse and delivering prevention and awareness programs.[98]

Other witnesses who provided services to older women identified the need for greater coordination as well: “By approaching this issue in a comprehensive, multi-faceted way, we can lay out a strategy that will build the culture of caring, dignity, and respect that our older Canadians deserve,” said a representative of Canadian nurses, and called for “a comprehensive strategy.”[99] A witness with experience implementing Ontario’s elder abuse strategy told the Committee: “We call for an aging strategy for Canada that highlights the challenges for older women. However, the strategy must be comprehensive and cut across the silos to include other levels of government and the private sector.”[100]

These and other witnesses called for a national approach to facilitating the needed coordination and collaboration.

PROMISING PRACTICES

The Committee heard of many success stories, programs and initiatives that witnesses have described as effective. To the greatest extent possible, to ensure accuracy and to reflect the positive nature of the results, descriptions have been taken verbatim from the testimony of the witnesses.

A.  Awareness

• The Canadian Nurses Association “… has partnered with the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario on the PEACE program, which is promoting the awareness of elder abuse in long-term care homes. … Ten long-term care settings were selected from across Canada to participate in the project. Each of these PEACE partners has developed and implemented tools, such as an education curriculum for health care providers, patients, and families, as well as printed materials, that are enhancing resident safety and quality of care.”[101]
• “The Grandmother Spirit project was undertaken [by the Native Women’s Association of Canada] to raise awareness of senior abuse, safety, and well-being for senior [A]boriginal women in Canada. The project was based on the belief that grandmothers, senior [A]boriginal women, hold tremendous life experience and wisdom, and that they should guide work carried out on the issues of senior abuse, as well as identify what needs to be done to help ensure that senior [A]boriginal women are safe and well in their communities... one grandmother had started a local radio show to raise awareness and talk about issues of senior abuse.”[102]
• “In Alberta and British Columbia, the [Aboriginal Circle of Educators] initiative has what is referred to as the ageless wisdom initiative. This initiative was developed in consultation with the National Aboriginal Policing Services branch [of the RCMP] and Aboriginal Policing Services in British Columbia. It’s a series of workshops, targeted specifically to seniors groups, about issues concerning safety, frauds and scams, abuse, and victim services.”[103]

B.  Information and Resources

§  “Seniors Resource Centre … developed a speakers bureau about elder abuse and an interagency elder abuse committee to discuss the issue and share information. They did a guide, Looking Beyond the Hurt: A Service Provider’s Guide to Elder Abuse, to help service providers understand where to refer people affected by elder abuse.”[104]

• “Free From Harm … is a best practices guide for women who have experienced abuse, which [the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse] released in 2007.”[105]
• The 2008 federal-provincial-territorial forum on elder abuse resulted in “a new series of eight fact sheets for seniors on financial planning and protection from financial abuse.”[106] Also, federal funding has been dedicated to “a new TV ad focusing on financial abuse” planned to air in early 2012.[107]
• “In Manitoba, the RCMP collaborated with the Winnipeg Police Service and partner agencies to develop the “It’s Everybody’s Business” video, which is designed to get the word out that the prevention of elder abuse really is everybody’s business.”[108]
• “The RCMP national crime prevention services have also developed the Seniors’ Guidebook to Safety and Security … The publication was recently updated to include more in-depth information on the subject of elder abuse, and it will be going to print shortly.”[109]
• In a 2011 Toronto Police initiative entitled Youth in Policing, “… students produced a one minute and thirty second video on elder abuse that will be uploaded shortly to the Toronto Police YouTube site.”[110]

C.  Coordinated Responses

• The Newfoundland and Labrador model of coordinated response includes “a central elder abuse resource line; a provincial office; regional elder abuse consultants; response teams–these are multi-disciplinary teams to discuss cases; senior navigators in communities, who actually are trained seniors within communities who can be there as another person for seniors to talk to if they want help; a seniors’ advocate office; and basic standards of supports for abused seniors.”[111]
• “[T]he Nova Scotia elder abuse strategy … provides direction and leadership to all partners in preventing and addressing the abuse of seniors. … It outlined four strategic areas: education and awareness; prevention of financial abuse; community-based networks; and resources and support. … We also started a toll-free senior abuse line.”[112]
• In Ontario: “seven regional consultants are our key resources. Of the seven, two are francophone consultants and one is a multicultural consultant. They support local elder abuse committees and networks. They strengthen partnerships among them. They facilitate and undertake education and training initiatives for professionals, volunteers, and seniors. They promote information sharing. They also are helpful in developing model protocols and assisting in grant writing.”[113]
• “In one on-reserve community, [the Grandmother Spirit project] learned about an innovative program in which local RCMP officers visit and have tea with elders who the community or community health staff have identified as vulnerable or who they think may be experiencing abuse but not reporting it.”[114]
• “Manitoba RCMP … partnered with seniors and students to develop the Seniors are Cool program. The program promotes discussion with students on issues such as abuse and neglect and focuses on what students can do to promote respect for older adults.”[115]
• In Ontario, “… provincial coordination between the OPP and other police services in Ontario in the area of abuse and neglect of older persons, with our provincial coordinating committee, known as LEAPS or Law Enforcement Agencies Protecting Seniors. This committee meets regularly to discuss challenges and shares best practices across the province. Committee members also liaise regularly by email to support each other when challenging issues are presented.”[116]
• The Edmonton Police Service has “a memorandum of understanding to deal with the agencies we work with. I was once asked how that works, and I said it’s actually harder but the results are better. It’s complicated to bring people from different philosophical perspectives together to work on the same problem with competing policies, and sometimes even competing goals or mandates, who are all supposedly working toward the same goal.”[117]
• In Quebec, “[a] telephone line was set up for referral purposes. Any senior in Quebec can call a single number if they feel they have been the victim of abuse. Their call is immediately transferred to the health and social services centre in their area. And right away, they come under the care of a social worker.”[118]

The Committee heard that funding for these practices is often short-term, and even if they are successful, they are unable to continue. For example, funding for a senior safety line in Ontario that had received more than 10,000 calls in the three years it has operated was expected to end within months.[119] Another witness described the limitations of short-term funding for service-delivery organizations:

Much of the money comes in on a project basis rather than as core funding. The agencies, including the elder abuse network in Ottawa, spend so much of their time justifying their existence, writing grant proposals, sending in interim and final reports, hoping they get the next one, and worrying about whether they have to lay off staff because they haven't heard yet.[120]

Witnesses also flagged the need for funding for local organizations to implement emerging promising practices.[121]

CONCLUSION

The Committee heard from active, engaged, passionate and expert witnesses on the scourge of elder abuse, particularly as it affects women.  Witnesses identified a range of themes, from the urgent need to know more about how often such abuse occurs and in what circumstances, to the common commitment to sharing resources and building networks to prevent and respond to such abuse. Collectively, witnesses told the Committee that awareness is increasing, but much remains to be done.

The Committee was impressed with the number of promising practices currently in place throughout Canada, as evidenced by the many success stories related to ongoing programs and initiatives. 

With praise for the federal government’s recent awareness and research initiatives, witnesses identified the need for on-going development of resources for professionals working with seniors and for older women themselves, and for continuing attention to this issue.

Recent announcements with respect to Criminal Code amendments are intended to result in tougher sentences for those who are guilty of crimes associated with abuse of older people, and the Budget 2012 announcement with respect to continuing funding for the Family Violence Initiative among federal agencies, combined with the New Horizons for Seniors funding for initiatives related to elder abuse, are important indications of the federal government’s on-going commitment to prevent and reduce elder abuse.

The Committee thanks witnesses for providing a full picture of elder abuse, and for their recommendations with respect to prevention of elder abuse and enforcement of existing laws that can contribute to that goal.