Mental Health Matters: We have the right to be safe, free from abuse

By Colleen Lewis on November 2, 2019.

clewis@cmha-aser.ca

November is Family Violence Awareness Month.

Elder abuse is becoming more of a public health issue, especially as the number and proportion of seniors in Alberta is expected to steadily increase over the next several decades. By 2031 it is projected that one in five Albertans will be a senior (aged 65 years and over).

Here in Medicine Hat our older adult (50+) population is larger than both the national and provincial averages. Currently 25,797, more than one-third of all Medicine Hat residents, are already over the age of 50 (Census 2016).

In 25 years, older adults are projected to make up half of the city’s population! Half! Now is the time to put in services to meet this growing and critical need.

How do older adults fit into Family Violence Awareness Month?

Elder abuse fits under the larger umbrella of family violence and thus is included in November’s Family Violence Awareness Month. While all abuse might not fall under the Criminal Code, all abuse is wrong. All of us have the right to be safe and live our lives free from abuse.

The prevalence rate for reporting elder abuse in Canada is 8.9% (2015 National Survey on the Mistreatment of Older Canadians). That means that in Medicine Hat we have more than 2,200 older adults who experience elder abuse in our community each and every year. Does this number astonish you? Can you see why this is a growing, critical need in our city? The above numbers are for Medicine Hat only and do not include any of our rural communities.

What is elder abuse? “Elder Abuse is any action or inaction by a person(s) in a trusting relationship that jeopardizes the health or well being of an older adult causing harm or distress. Elder abuse can take several forms including, financial, psychological or emotional, sexual, spiritual and/or neglect” (Medicine Hat & Area Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition 2018).

The Ministry of Alberta Seniors and Housing, Addressing Elder Abuse in Alberta, notes that “approximately 25% of (all) crimes against older adults are committed by family members, usually a spouse or adult child.” Most older adults do not report this abuse. If they did, the numbers would be much higher.

How do we address this growing critical need? Prevention of abuse starts with education and raising awareness. While ongoing prevention is important, intervention is critically needed. Our older adults experiencing abuse and those at risk of being abused need proper and adequate supports in place in our city, available to them to guide them through all the unique challenges they will face. Medicine Hat needs an Elder Abuse Case Manager, one person where community members and professionals alike can refer an older adult experiencing abuse, or suspected of being abused to. What services would that position provide? The variety of needed supports and information could include assessment, identification of abuse, investigation, safety planning, accompanying to court, advocacy, emotional support, referral to other services and follow up. As well as recommend supports or services for the perpetrator (the abuser) who are often the older adult’s family members. Older adults often want to maintain a relationship with the person abusing them; especially when there are grandchildren in the family.

In Medicine Hat, who can you call? In emergency situations call 911. For older adults fleeing abuse call the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society 403-529-1091. They provide shelter and services for both men and women. You may call the Provincial Family Violence Awareness line for information and referrals which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 170 languages and is toll free 310-1818. If the older adult lives in a care facility call the Protection for Persons in Care reporting line 1-888-357-9339. If the abuse is sexual in nature call or text, the Alberta Sexual Assault Crisis Line 1-866-403-8000.

Colleen Lewis is the co-chair of the Medicine Hat and Area Elder Abuse Prevention Coalition, working collaboratively with key community stakeholders to address elder abuse. If your organization is interested in participating in this Coalition, please contact Colleen. She works with the Canadian Mental Health Association South East Region on Dunmore Rd. SE in Medicine Hat, who wrote the grant for this community development work. Colleen may be reached at clewis@cmha-aser.ca

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