Province unveils new strategy to prevent elder abuse

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The plan also includes an updated definition of elder abuse that will provide clarity to community partners and promote standard data collection and information sharing on incidents of elder abuse.

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Elder abuse is now defined as any intentional or reckless act or wilful and negligent disregard, occurring within a relationship of family, trust or dependency, directed at someone 65 years of age or older, that:

• Causes physical harm;
• Causes emotional or psychological harm;
• Involves the misappropriation or misuse of money or other personal possessions or personal or real property;
• Subjects an individual to non-consensual sexual contact, activity or behaviour, or fails to provide the necessities of life.

Minister of Seniors and Housing Josephine Pon said, “Our seniors deserve to be cherished and respected members of the community. Sadly, this is not always the case.”

“All Albertans need to work together to stop elder abuse. Our new provincial strategy will help all of us recognize the signs of abuse and understand what action we can take to stop and report it. I encourage all Albertans to read the strategy and shine a light on this sensitive and vital issue.”

The province’s strategy has five goals:

1. Improved awareness about what elder abuse is and how to prevent, identify and address it.
2. Training for skilled service providers, including customized training for Indigenous communities, health professionals and housing providers.
3. Coordinated community responses where communities and partners coordinate effectively to address elder abuse.
4. Protective laws and policies to protect seniors and uphold their rights.
5. Enhanced data, information sharing, research and evaluation to support strong policy and program responses, including awareness, prevention, early intervention and monitoring.

The plan was developed with feedback and input from seniors, stakeholders and the public. The most recent elder abuse prevention strategy is more than 10 years old and according to the province, Alberta’s seniors population has doubled to more than 700,000 since the initial strategy was developed.

The new provincial strategy can be accessed at the Government of Alberta website.

Lori Sigurdson, NDP Critic for Seniors and Housing, released the following statement in response to the UCP Elder Abuse Prevention Strategy:

“Working to stop elder abuse is of vital importance. The UCP are putting forward a strategy that offloads cost onto civil societies, at a time where grants have been significantly diminished and costs are up for these vital organizations.

“A collective community response requires support from the government, but the UCP proves time and time again that they simply do not support seniors in Alberta. How are these organizations supposed to implement the strategy when this government will not fund them?

“In addition to clawing back available grants, the UCP also eliminated the important role of Seniors’ Advocate, an office which would directly deal with important issues such as elder abuse. A strategy without support, funding, and personnel behind it is simply another report.

“The actions of the UCP regarding seniors in Alberta have shown they do not support the community, nor the amazing organizations working to serve seniors. The lack of dedicated funding within this strategy proves that once again.”