Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable members of the standing committee, for the opportunity to contribute to the important work you are doing to study elder abuse in Canada.
I am proud to be able to describe to you the fine work being done in British Columbia to raise the awareness of abuse, neglect and self-neglect, and to help our communities find ways to prevent this.
The last two provincial governments have recognized that this issue is often hidden, little understood and extremely damaging to older and vulnerable adults throughout the province. For the last 10 years they have funded the work that our organizations are doing, and it is my distinct pleasure to have been involved since the beginning.
I have written a more detailed description of how the B.C. Association of Community Response Networks and the Council to Reduce Elder Abuse are organized to work towards reducing elder abuse by concentrating on supporting a local community response.
Here is just a sampling of the issues and remedies that you can consider. One, middle-aged children of aging parents find it difficult to help their growing families' needs. They see their parents with assets, and they think it would be good if they could have their inheritance before their parents die.
Two, when companies find themselves having to downsize or, as is happening during the COVID pandemic, having to lay off workers, many wage earners are finding themselves desperate and move back into their parents' home, often with children.
Three, immigrant families often bring older family members from their homeland to help look after the children. Sometimes these older adults are not provided with any freedom to create a safe life for themselves, which is further hindered by the inability to speak English or French.
Four, adding to the challenges of reconciliation, decolonization and the impact of residential schools, some of the older indigenous Canadians are also faced with pressure from their younger family members, who expect them to provide financial support to help them deal with their own issues.
I would like to list some of the ways that the federal government can play a role in reducing elder abuse.
First, it can understand that it is a systemic issue, and there is no quick fix.
When considering mandatory reporting, understand that most elder abuse is perpetrated by family members, and few parents will report or lay charges against their own child. This could have the effect of driving the abuse further underground.
As Krista James of the Canadian Centre for Elder Law said at the last hearing, abused adults don't want their family members to go to jail; “they just want the abuse to stop.”
It can provide support for law reform initiatives.
It can provide support for the key role played by the RCMP so they can respond effectively.
It can provide support for research projects, which help seniors live safely in their own homes.
It can provide support for research into what causes elder abuse.
It can provide support for safe and accessible housing projects for elders.
It can provide support for job creation and retraining for people trying to enter the workforce or dealing with being downsized or laid off.
It can provide support for training for frontline workers in institutions as well as in the community.
It can provide support for English as a second-language projects for immigrant seniors, along with other settlement services.
It can provide support for indigenous communities in developing safe and healthy housing for their families and elders.
It can provide support for mental health and addiction services, especially for families in crisis. No individual can be forced into therapy, so there needs to be supports in place to help them want to change.
It can provide support for the development of safe and accessible transition houses for older adults and allow a longer stay. In B.C. a woman can only stay for 30 days in a transition house.
It can provide support for the development of a national elder abuse strategy.
I've included a lot more information in the brief that I've submitted to you.
I look forward to answering your questions.
Thank you.