Minister of Seniors and Housing Josephine Pon during the elder abuse prevention strategy news conference on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Seniors

Province unveils new strategy to prevent elder abuse

Jul 19, 2022 | 2:34 PM

EDMONTON – The provincial government in Alberta is taking action to stop elder abuse.

A Collective Approach: Alberta’s strategy for preventing and addressing elder abuse is the government’s five-year plan that will guide Albertans, non-profits, frontline workers, businesses and governments in working together to reduce and stop instances of elder abuse.

The plan also includes an updated definition of elder abuse that will provide clarity to community partners and promote standard data collection and information sharing on incidents of elder abuse.

Elder abuse is now defined as any intentional or reckless act or wilful and negligent disregard, occurring within a relationship of family, trust or dependency, directed at someone 65 years of age or older, that:

• Causes physical harm;
• Causes emotional or psychological harm;
• Involves the misappropriation or misuse of money or other personal possessions or personal or real property;
• Subjects an individual to non-consensual sexual contact, activity or behaviour, or fails to provide the necessities of life.

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Minister of Seniors and Housing Josephine Pon said, “Our seniors deserve to be cherished and respected members of the community. Sadly, this is not always the case.”

“All Albertans need to work together to stop elder abuse. Our new provincial strategy will help all of us recognize the signs of abuse and understand what action we can take to stop and report it. I encourage all Albertans to read the strategy and shine a light on this sensitive and vital issue.”

The province’s strategy has five goals:

1. Improved awareness about what elder abuse is and how to prevent, identify and address it.
2. Training for skilled service providers, including customized training for Indigenous communities, health professionals and housing providers.
3. Coordinated community responses where communities and partners coordinate effectively to address elder abuse.
4. Protective laws and policies to protect seniors and uphold their rights.
5. Enhanced data, information sharing, research and evaluation to support strong policy and program responses, including awareness, prevention, early intervention and monitoring.

The plan was developed with feedback and input from seniors, stakeholders and the public. The most recent elder abuse prevention strategy is more than 10 years old and according to the province, Alberta’s seniors population has doubled to more than 700,000 since the initial strategy was developed.

The new provincial strategy can be accessed at the Government of Alberta website.