Justice committee  As I said, few, if any, shelters exist for seniors who suffer from elder abuse. Shelters are needed so seniors have someplace to go to get out of the abusive situation. Shelters provide abused seniors with safe accommodations. Shelters are an excellent solution, similar to youth

Justice committee  Yes, of course.

Justice committee  In the case of sexual or physical violence, criminal penalties are certainly appropriate. However, when the abuse is psychological, therapy is available to people who—

Justice committee  Precisely, the abuser could be ordered to receive counselling or rehabilitation therapy.

Justice committee  The justice system is inadequate in that regard. That's why, at Vigil'Ange, we endeavour to provide support to seniors and educate them when possible. Currently, though, that is not something available through the justice system.

Justice committee  Indeed. The measures put in place for children could be just as effective for seniors. I am thinking in particular of the Youth Protection Branch. There could be an elder protection branch. That would be very welcome in the health care system. This is what we need to help our se

Justice committee  We are fortunate to have lookouts. The lookout can be the delivery person at the convenience store or the pharmacy, or the hairdresser. These people, who are in the senior's circle, call on us. From that point on, we try to figure out what approach to take to get the senior out o

Justice committee  Indeed. We realized that in the case of financial fraud, assault, or physical abuse, the Criminal Code applies and the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions can actually act. However, when we talk about ageism, psychological abuse, hurtful words used, or organizational ab

Justice committee  Since the beginning of the pandemic, the level of vulnerability of our clientele has been exacerbated. Our clientele is much more psychologically fragile and the cases are more serious than before. Isolation has meant that victims of abuse are left alone with the abuser and repor

Justice committee  We became aware of another problem that affects shelters. They are not adapted, for example, for seniors with limited mobility. Often they have stairs and no elevator. In fact, there are shelters for battered women, but there are none for vulnerable seniors. If there were, we co

Justice committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Vigil'Ange is an organization that helps vulnerable seniors. It has joined forces with the Centre d'assistance et d'accompagnement aux plaintes, or CAAP, des Laurentides, an organization that supports seniors through the abuse complaint process. Twelve p