Evidence of meeting #6 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was financial.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Chair, National Seniors Council
You may wish to call the various police departments to see if they keep statistics. That might be a good way of finding out.
NDP
The Chair NDP Niki Ashton
I'd like to thank Mr. Soulière and Ms. James for joining us here today. Thank you for all the wisdom you've shared with us.
That brings us to the end of this panel. We will break for a couple of minutes while our next panellists get ready to join us.
NDP
The Chair NDP Niki Ashton
I would like to call us back to order, please. We have our next group of panellists getting ready to go. It's exciting to know that we'll be hearing from people who have joined us from across the country.
I'd like to introduce our panellists today. From the Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, we have the coordinator, Ms. Elizabeth Siegel. From the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors, we have the CEO, Ms. Valerie White.
Thank you for joining us.
From the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse we have the executive director, Ms. Teri Kay, and regional consultant, Ms. Manon Thompson.
Thank you very much for joining us here today.
We will begin by listening to Ms. Siegel from the Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
Elizabeth Siegel Coordinator, Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
Hi. Thank you for having me here today.
I should say that I'm presenting wearing two hats today. I'm from the Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, which is a brand new organization, and I'm also involved with the Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is the provincial organization for all of the provincially funded women's shelters in Newfoundland and Labrador. I want to include some data from them as well.
I want to give you a quick overview about where seniors live in Newfoundland and Labrador. We have a population of about half a million in 300 different communities. We have approximately 150,000 people in the capital area, and everywhere else is a smaller community. We have many seniors in much smaller communities, and in some cases, we're talking about 200 people. There is considerable migration of working people to the capital city, which means we have many seniors who are living in continually more isolated situations.
Newfoundland's is also an aging population, very much so. In 2006, 13.4% of the total population was aged 65 and over. By 2016, seniors aged 65 and over will represent about 20% of our population. By 2026, they'll be 27% of it. At that point, I heard recently, the populations of Newfoundland and Labrador and Japan will be the oldest populations in the world. This means, obviously, that elder abuse is a concern for us as our senior population grows.
I should say that there haven't been any recent or current studies in Newfoundland and Labrador, nor are there any centralized systems to capture elder abuse statistics, so unfortunately I don't have any hard data.
But what I am going to give you is some numbers from the Seniors Resource Centre of Newfoundland and Labrador information line. This is a non-profit organization across Newfoundland and Labrador. They have a toll-free information line that is answered by seniors. It is really there to provide information and referral for any kind of service; it's not elder abuse-specific. However, back in 1990 they noticed that they were starting to get elder abuse calls. There were just three calls back then. By 2005 they were receiving 189 elder abuse calls. By 2010 there were 87.
This is a drop, but I think that's because of public awareness and because people are being referred to different sources. The numbers might sound small, but when you think about the fact that this is not an elder abuse line and yet these calls are coming in, they are actually quite significant. A large number of the calls coming in concerned financial abuse, but there were also calls around emotional and physical abuse and neglect.
There has also been a study called “Community Health Needs and Resources Assessment in Newfoundland and Labrador”, a study on seniors' issues. This wasn't specifically around elder abuse, but there was an elder abuse question in it. They asked 821 seniors in our province whether elder abuse was a problem, and 483 or 59% said no, 26% said somewhat, while 15% said they saw it as a major problem.
Because of these calls coming into the Seniors Resource Centre, the centre developed several projects to deal with them. They 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.
From this, the interagency elder abuse committee became the Elder Abuse Committee of Newfoundland and Labrador. It consisted of both government and community representatives. They worked together to develop a strategic plan to address elder abuse in Newfoundland and Labrador. This strategic plan ran from 2005 into 2010, and it made recommendations around six key strategic elder abuse issues. These were: public awareness and education, elder abuse legislation, a community response to elder abuse, training and screening for service providers, caregiver support, and research.
This was presented to government. I'm afraid that it was never officially adopted, but we recently did a review of the plan and were pleased to see that about 70% of what we had recommended had actually occurred. The areas that we feel still need development are screening for service providers, specifically around the home support area, and research.
One thing we wanted to do as part of the strategic plan was develop a community response, a network to ensure that seniors experiencing abuse didn't fall through the cracks. We had a project that was funded by the national crime prevention strategy and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
We went out and talked to the community to develop our own plan. We visited 26 communities, did more than 35 consultations, and spoke to approximately 400 people. This was done throughout our province. I can tell you that in every single community we went to, we held a public meeting, and in every single meeting there was at least one person who came forward afterward and told us they were being abused. It is really an incredible problem.
We asked seniors how they wanted to be helped. The answer is probably not surprising: they said they want options in how they ask for help. Some said they felt more comfortable calling a 1-800 number so they didn't know the person at the other end of the line. Some wanted to talk to people in their community.
They said that they wanted a community-based option, especially in the smaller communities; that there has to be accountability and follow-through; and that there also needs to be a way to deal with systemic problems.
Based on what we heard, we developed a model. Just to give you an idea of some components of our model, we are: 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.
As we did this work, we realized that a lot was going on in our province and that we needed to become a provincial network. I'm pleased to say that on October 4 we officially became the Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. If you want to check us out, our website is www.nlnpea.ca. We consist of both government and community partners. Our goal is to share information about what is going on and to help improve referrals in the province.
There are other initiatives going on in our province. The Seniors Resource Centre has peer advocates in more than 80 communities. These are volunteer seniors who are trained to listen and to talk to seniors. They are getting additional training on elder abuse this year. They are being trained on how to ask the questions and are also giving presentations on the issue.
Our Department of Health and Community Services had a campaign about violence against older persons in 2008. This consisted of brochures, radio ads, and posters, and I think it was very successful.
We have something called regional coordinating committees, which are regional networks of anti-violence groups. They have been doing a lot of awareness issues in the community.
The provincial government is currently developing a training program for service providers. They're dealing with health boards, police, and home support, and the first phase is due to roll out soon. We're excited about that.
I think the 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.
I'm going to switch my hat a little now and talk about some information from the women's shelters.
We have 10 shelters in our province, four of which are in Labrador. Before I came here, I asked all of the executive directors what they thought about the issue of older women in their shelters and what they thought needed to be done.
Two different pictures emerged from my conversations: one of them I'm going to call the larger shelters, but when I say larger shelters, I'm probably talking about six to 10 rooms, while the second is the smaller ones in northern communities.
In the larger shelters, they said that about 20% of their clients are 50-plus, but some feel that older women are not availing themselves of the shelter service because of mobility or health issues that the shelters can't support. For instance, some of them still have bunk beds. Also, communal living was a deterrent for many older women.
They noted that almost all of their cases were domestic abuse cases: lifelong partners who have been abusing, and it has grown old. They also noted that older women seemed more likely to leave an abusive situation and they felt that this was probably because they had children who were grown and had left the house so they were ready to do something.
The smaller shelters, I have to admit, actually surprised me. One reported that 80% of their clients were over 50. They said that in their community, communal living was less of an issue because everyone knew everyone anyway, and the seniors just filled the role of grandparents in the shelters. They said that they experienced mixed sources of abuse. Some was domestic violence from lifelong partners. Some was by newer, or what they called younger, partners, who were after pensions, and some was by children.
But I think what disturbed me the most was that they said that the older women didn't use the shelters to leave abusive relationships. They were literally used as a respite from the abuse, because there was no housing in the community. There was nowhere they could go. They were not prepared to leave the community. It was just a break from the abuse.
I then asked them to make some recommendations about what could be done. They suggested--
NDP
The Chair NDP Niki Ashton
Ms. Siegel, I'm sorry, but we're just about out of time. Is it possible to come to a natural conclusion?
Coordinator, Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
I'm about 20 seconds away.
Coordinator, Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
They said that they wanted funding to make shelters more accessible; shelters for older women without children, or in other words, a different shelter model, where there would be a different wing for older women; and housing subsidies for older women affected by violence. They also suggested that this should be reflected in funding policies. There should be funds provided for renovations and human resources to support the women, versus project funding.
Thank you.
NDP
The Chair NDP Niki Ashton
Thank you very much.
Ms. Siegel, would it be possible to send our clerk a copy of the results of the review of the elder abuse strategic plan so that we can use it for reference in our study?
Coordinator, Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
Certainly.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Could we also ask her for her formal comments so that we could have those as well? I find those very interesting, those comments.
Conservative
NDP
The Chair NDP Niki Ashton
Sure.
Is it possible to get a written version of what was presented here today?
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Not to delay, but through you, what I had asked the clerk about at our last meeting was that, to the extent possible.... I note that we have one set of written comments today, which are very helpful, and when we get them, of course, they need to be translated into the other official language. But it really is helpful for our sessions to have our guests' comments presented to us. So again, I'll put it upon you to encourage that process.
Coordinator, Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
I do have the speaking notes available.
NDP
The Chair NDP Niki Ashton
That is excellent. Could you send that copy? We'll make the connection with the clerk.
Thank you very much, Ms. Siegel. We'll move on to Ms. White.
Valerie White Chief Executive Officer, Nova Scotia Department of Seniors
Madam Chair and committee members, thank you very much for the opportunity to present to you today to share our views from Nova Scotia and some thoughts about what can be done to further address the issue of abuse of older women.
The Nova Scotia elder abuse strategy, which we put out in 2005, talks about the different kinds of abuse that people have experienced, the harm they have experienced from all sorts of people. If you fail to act on this, then their heath, their whole well-being, and sometimes their lives are in danger. This action or inaction is especially harmful when it occurs in a relationship where there is the expectation of trust.
I won't go over the different kinds of abuse, because that's in the report. That will save some time, and I know you're all familiar with them anyway.
It's very difficult for us to say how many older persons are abused, neglected, or exploited in Nova Scotia, in part because there's still a lack of awareness of what elder abuse really is. Sometimes this abuse has gone on for a very long time, and in certain cases people begin to feel this is the way their life is.
We've been doing a lot to talk about the awareness and to make people more aware of abuse, but it very much remains a hidden problem.
The best information indicates that between 4% and 10% of older adults experience abuse. If you translate that to Nova Scotia, it would mean that approximately 5,000 to 13,000 older people experience harm and poor health or well-being because of abuse. Because it's so severely under-reported, it's believed that this number is far greater. I was a social worker with family and children's services, and I honestly don't think it's any different: I think abuse goes through the generations and remains hidden.
As in other jurisdictions, of course because women live longer than men, naturally there is a larger group of women who are being abused. The sheer numbers of our demographic means that it's becoming a larger issue. According to the 2006 census, of approximately 138,000 Nova Scotians over the age of 65, 78,000 are women. That's 57% of our senior population.
As I said, it's often hidden. It takes place within family relationships, and it is very much shaped by generational experiences. What we see a lot of the time is this entitlement that older adult children feel. I hope I have a chance to tell you a story that's close to me about a lady who lives across the street--they basically can't wait for her to die. There's some serious abuse taking place there.
Of course, 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.
They have the same opinions in Newfoundland. I think a lot of the older seniors aren't comfortable in the transition homes where there are younger people and children. There's obviously some success, but I know there are some transition houses specifically for older seniors, and that seems to have worked really well.
Also, of course, people are afraid of retaliation.
As well, a lot of older women feel guilty. If their adult child is abusing them, they feel that maybe it's their fault, that maybe it's something they did. As mothers, I think, we always seem to say that maybe it's something we did, and I don't think that changes as we age. So that makes it a sort of a double whammy there for someone to come out and report themselves.
Of course, because of having fewer financial resources, a lot of older women can be even more greatly affected by financial abuse.
We know also that women are more likely to have disabling conditions. They live longer than men and so they're more at risk of injury, and they're often likely to be caregivers to husbands with dementia.
Sometimes violence in a younger couple can grow old along with them.
It may also start in retirement, when changes take place in the different roles that people play. Spousal violence can begin in a relationship at any age, I guess, when people grow older, with the stresses and strains that people often feel. So it is the significant aging of our population that will increase the proportion of seniors needing support and also increase the need for people to step up and understand that this is a concern for all of us, that it's everyone's concern.
We need to take a look at everything we can possibly do to support seniors who are being abused. One of the things we've done in Nova Scotia is to develop--in 2005--a strategy for positive aging. I brought some reports with me, and if you want them, you're welcome to have them. That really was done to position us as a province that was starting to look at innovative solutions to the challenges associated with population aging.
More than a thousand Nova Scotians were consulted. The strategy contains nine goals and 190 societal actions. Again, we particularly addressed it that way when we went out to the consultations: that government can't do everything and that every one of us has a role to play in order to make sure that people age successfully.
The nine goals in the strategy for positive aging are: celebrating seniors; financial security; health and well-being; maximizing independence; housing options; transportation; respecting diversity; employment and life transitions; and supportive communities. This strategy serves as our framework for responding to seniors issues, including abuse. We build our yearly business plan around that.
Also in that same year, we released the Nova Scotia elder abuse strategy. This provides direction and leadership to all partners in preventing and addressing the abuse of seniors. It was meant to be a five-year strategy. We are reviewing that now. It outlined four strategic areas: education and awareness; prevention of financial abuse; community-based networks; and resources and support. A review of progress is under way.
We also started a toll-free senior abuse line. We have adult protection in the province, but ever since I've been involved—since 1980—the adult protection legislation deals only with seniors who are unable to look after themselves or who would be considered incompetent. Believe me, there are many people who are very competent but because of abuse just do not have the wherewithal to make a change. We receive approximately 200 calls per year on that line, and roughly 70% of all calls are concerned with either potential abuse or neglect of an older woman.
We also have a network for the prevention of senior abuse. This network is composed of government, community, and academic partners and is led by the Department of Seniors. That network fosters collaboration and provides leadership across those stakeholder groups in an effort to put more supports at the grassroots level.
There has been some wonderful work done at the federal-provincial-territorial level. We worked together with our colleagues on the prevention of elder abuse, especially financial abuse, on the safety and security working group, which that produced the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day kits, the eight brochures on financial literacy, and the TV ads. At this time, the working group is focused on a collaborative project with other stakeholders to ensure that seniors are better informed in order to protect themselves from financial abuse.
We support senior safety programs in Nova Scotia, which were started by the RCMP. We provide them with a maximum of $20,000 to encourage those programs--they use a community development model--to work with and to visit seniors in their own homes.
Each year on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we support eight to 15 projects. They have been funded to make people at the local area level more aware of activities that support seniors and to create further awareness.
Through partnering with the public legal information service in Nova Scotia, we have created a legal information package for seniors, which is called “It's in Your Hands: Legal Information for Seniors and their Families”. The Department of Seniors has already funded two extra printings of that book so more seniors can have access to it.
Chief Executive Officer, Nova Scotia Department of Seniors
Okay.
I'll conclude by mentioning some of the gaps we see and some ways in which I think the federal government can help.
Often there's a lack of alternatives for seniors with regard to living arrangements. They are dependent on the abuser. There is shame associated with being abused, as well as some fear and the feeling of being responsible for the criminal accountability that the abuser will face.
We would suggest that it's important for women to have enough financial benefits so they can live independently as long as possible; that government support local work that increases women's understanding of their rights and resources; and that government support local projects on the implementation of emerging best practices.
We would recommend having a federal campaign on positive health relationships and on how to talk to your family and friends about behaviours that cause concern.
I think it's important that the funding through the new horizons program be continued. Again, I think it's doing some great work across the country.
I would like to add that I think there is a need for awareness, not just among police forces, but among lawyers, around what can be done with existing legislation. But I also think we have to adopt an attitude of zero tolerance of elder abuse, as we have for other forms of abuse, whether it's in Boy Scouts or schools for native children in the past, or even in the way we're addressing child abuse. I really think we need to move towards this so people know that if they abuse a senior there will be serious consequences.
Thank you.
NDP
The Chair NDP Niki Ashton
Thank you very much.
Now we'll move on to the representatives from the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
You have 10 minutes together. If you'd like to, you can share your time and that's how we'll go.
Teri Kay Executive Director, Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
I'm going to take most of it, and Manon will be available for questions.