In 2002, the Seniors and Healthy Aging established a comprehensive Provincial strategy to address issues of the abuse of older adults. Since 2002, the Provincial Elder Abuse Strategy continues to evolve and expand. Key components of the Provincial Elder Abuse Strategy include the Elder Abuse Consultant, Seniors Abuse Referral Line, community/regional response teams, education and awareness resources, and funded partnerships with key senior serving organizations that provide direct elder abuse services.
The Secretariat’s Elder Abuse Consultant works throughout Manitoba to ensure that services and supports are coordinated and available. The Elder Abuse Consultant connects with older adults, service providers and partners throughout Manitoba by delivering presentations, participating on committees and sharing information around the abuse of older adults.
The Secretariat has led the way in creating a diverse range of elder abuse supports from awareness, education, training, to intervention and protection.
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Prevention
- Across the Generations is a learning module on elder abuse that is taught to grade 4&5 students. The program is designed to foster respectful intergenerational relationships and create positive images of aging amongst youth.
- The Seniors Are Cool! Video and resource guide was developed and distributed in 2004 to elementary schools across the province, to promote intergenerational understanding.
- The RCMP Girl Guide Senior Safety and Security Badge Program promotes safety and security amongst youth and creates respectful intergenerational opportunities.
- The Secretariat’s Age‑Friendly Manitoba initiative supports seniors in leading active, socially engaged, and independent lives that contribute to healthy aging. By making healthy choices and remaining active and socially connected, seniors will diminish their risk of experiencing abuse.
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Awareness, Education & Training
- The Secretariat has developed publications on elder abuse. These include; Expect Respect brochure, Legal Information Guide for Seniors, Caregiver Guide for Seniors, Safety for Seniors Fact Sheet and the Manitoba Seniors Guide.
- The Secretariat’s Elder Abuse Consultant delivers presentations on elder abuse to older adults, service providers and groups such as financial institutions.
- Community Based Response Teams were established throughout regions across Manitoba to raise the awareness of elder abuse, network and support, promote education and awareness events, and to develop resources. Many have developed regional elder abuse resource guides to assist professionals in responding to elder abuse. Core team members include a vide variety of disciplines and may include representatives from RCMP, mental health services for the elderly, home care, support services to seniors, clergy, financial institutions and older adults.
- World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was proclaimed in Manitoba on June 15th 2006 and provides us all with an opportunity to increase awareness about the abuse of older adults. The Secretariat encourages and assists communities in organizing events and/or activities to recognize the day.
- Police Academy: Older Adults Division Program empowers older adults with information on a variety of safety and security issues while increasing knowledge on available programs and services.
- Peer Helping Program provides training for older adults to provide counseling and assistance towards reducing harms to other older adults experiencing problems related to elder abuse, problem gambling, alcohol, and/or prescription and over the counter medication misuse and abuse.
- RESOLVE Manitoba has completed research on legislative frameworks and service provision regarding elder abuse. This work has provided suggested recommendations to better support older adults affected by abuse which continues to be analyzed by the Secretariat.
- The Manitoba Network for the Prevention of Abuse of Older Adults acts as a clearinghouse of elder abuse information and is a provincial interdisciplinary network of service providers across Manitoba to increase awareness and to collectively strengthen community’s abilities in responding to elder abuse.
Key Network partners include:
The Secretariat provided strong leadership in organizing the first provincial elder abuse conference in Manitoba; “Partnering towards the Prevention of Abuse of Older Adults”, on October 27th & 28th, 2008. This conference brought together over 300 service providers, older adults, community, and experts from across Canada for a discussion on elder abuse issues.
The Secretariat assisted in organizing an elder abuse pre-conference workshop in conjunction with the 38th Annual Canadian Association on Gerontology Conference titled ”Rippling Effects of Multi-Disciplinary Approaches” on October 22nd, 2010.
The Secretariat provides strong leadership on Federal/Provincial/Territorial work. A Working Group is currently focused on increasing awareness of the issue through participation in World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. A financial literacy project is being developed to provide plain language fact sheets on financial planning and protection from financial abuse to older adults. These financial fact sheets will be distributed on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15, 2010.
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Intervention & Protection
The Secretariat provides funding to Age & Opportunity to provide:
- Confidential consultation, assessment and counseling services are provided to seniors who are victims of abuse.
- Safe Suite Program- crisis accommodations are available for men, women and couples 55+ who are in need of a safe place to stay due to abuse or neglect. Assistance in arranging finances, housing and legal services can also be provided.
For more information on elder abuse counseling or crisis accommodations, please contact Age & Opportunity at (204) 956-6440.
- The Protection for Persons in Care Office has legislation to help protect adults from abuse while receiving care in personal care homes, hospitals or any other designated health facility. You may reach the PPCO at (204) 788-6366 or 1-866-440-6366.
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