Paige Desmond
To promote awareness and education, the district Elder Abuse Awareness Committee, in conjunction with the District Mental Health Services for Older Adults Program, is promoting Elder Abuse Awareness Day coming up this Sunday (Oct. 19).
Gerri Yerxa, a geriatric mental health therapist with the DMHSOAP, confirmed the problem of elder abuse does happen here, particularly financial abuse.
“It’s a lot of what we are noticing in the community,” she said.
According to the 2006 census, 1,530 of the 8,103 residents of Fort Frances were age 65 and over. And considering statistics say five percent of the population suffers from elder abuse, the numbers add up pretty quickly.
According to the Elder Abuse Awareness Committee, there are six different types of elder abuse: physical, emotional, financial, neglect, spiritual, and sexual. The World Health Organization defines elder abuse as “any action or non-action that harms an older person or jeopardizes the person’s health or welfare.”
“I have not had to deal with a situation of physical abuse,” noted committee member Ann Sinclair with the United Native Friendship Centre. “[But] I’ve lost count of the number of cases of financial abuse.
Financial abuse is described as “the illegal or improper use of another’s money or assets. It can also involve an older adult feeling pressured to give money,” according to a committee handout.
Committee member Michelle Korpi said one of the biggest problems is that seniors don’t realize the abuse is actually happening.
At the same time, Sinclair said because of dependency issues (most often a senior’s children are responsible for the abuse), someone may not want to come forward because they fear reprisal. This could include being made to feel guilty by their child, threats to stop bringing grandchildren around, or stop helping with chores and errands.
Emotional abuse comes into play here in unison with the financial aspect.
The situation “only comes to a head when it puts them into dire straits,” Sinclair noted.
It is hard for some to accept the fact their child is taking advantage of them, and Sinclair said victims don’t like to have the problem termed abuse. “If I call it that, some of them get so upset,” she noted.
But there are ways for seniors to protect themselves. One idea is to not have an ATM card or credit card, which can prevent other people from drawing money out of their accounts without permission.
The goal of the Elder Abuse Awareness Committee is to educate seniors as to what their rights are and how to protect themselves, as well as to inform the general community of the problem.
“It’s a growing issue,” warned Yerxa.
People in the district need to know “that it exists” and that you “can do something about it if it’s happening to you,” she stressed.
As well, many seniors are cared for in their home by people other than their children, meaning adult children must pay attention to who comes and goes from a parent’s house to help prevent them from falling victim to elder abuse.
“Sometimes people do need help in the home. Knowing what’s taking place in their parents’ home [is important],” Yerxa said.
Most importantly, seniors need to know they have the same rights as everyone else—and that no one has the right to abuse them in any way.
To help build awareness about the issue here, several local businesses will be distributing “bag stuffers” produced by the Elder Abuse Awareness Committee leading up to Oct. 19, including the local pharmacies, Canadian Tire, A&W, The Place, and the McDonald’s drive-thru window.
“We appreciate the community organizations,” Yerxa said.
For more information, contact the District Mental Health Services for Older Adults Program at 274-9400.
You also can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, the Ministry of the Attorney General Victim Support Line at 1-888-579-2888, or the Ontario Strategy to Combat Elder Abuse Kenora/Rainy River District regional consultant at 1-807-343-8563.
