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Abused? For Help Call 705-742-7778 What does Abuse of Older Adults Look Like? Connecting to the Links below you will be able to view "real life situations" that are vivid depictions of Elder Abuse. It happens in the nicest homes and sometimes in places you least expect it.
Have you noticed something like this happening to people you know? If so - are you ready to do something to get someone help?
Click on these links (words or pictures) to watch a video. Physical Abuse - where you least expect it...
Verbal Abuse - when you least expect it...
Financial Abuse - how you least expect it...
After viewing the videos, how did you feel? If you were close to one of the situations depicted above, what do you think you should do? Where would you go for help? Who would be the best person to provide assistance to the senior that is being abused? Call 705-742-7778
These videos are produced by The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (ONPEA). They have been posted to YouTube.
QUESTION???? Have you noticed someone being abused? Have you witnessed changes in someone's physical condition that may be abuse?
What will you do about it?
Where will you go for help? You can call Call 705-742-7778 |
Need to talk to someone personally?
Lisa Hughes is the right person! Lisa officially works with VON as the Supervisor of CARE-In-home Respite Program.
She is also the Chair Person of the APOAN of Peterborough, Ontario, she has taken on the role of leading a fairly large group of agency representatives that form the APOAN.
Lisa will point you in the right direction if you need help.
You can contact Lisa at...
Lisa Hughes
V.O.N. 360
George St. N. Suite, Peterborough, Ont.
K9H 7E7 (lower level of the Peterborough Square)
Telephone: 705-745-9155 1-800-743-6255 Toll free Fax: 705-745-3262 1-800-784-5468
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Get Involved … Help prevent the Abuse of Older Adults“We need your help.” stated Gloria Edwards, the Project Manager for Volunteer Development. “If you would like to help seniors that need support at critical times in their lives, we are able to help you get involved.” An estimated 3600 older adults in Peterborough County & City could be experiencing some form of abuse; physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, financial, neglect or denial of civil rights - it’s a big issue and it is a hard issue … and you can help prevent it! With persistence and determination of volunteers and agency representatives the Abuse Prevention of Older Adults Network (APOAN) has made progress in several areas while striving to reach its mission, ‘to prevent and eliminate all abuse of older adults through the provision of education and a coordinated community response’ In 2005 the APOAN made a big leap forward. With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the National Crime Prevention Mobilization Project, the APOAN was able to hire a Project Manager to conduct awareness activities and to facilitate the development of a Coordinated Community Response for Peterborough County and City. Forty-five community agencies participated in developing this protocol. (Full Story) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * August 2006 report from The Gambia - in west Africa. TAPEA is launching a new effort among the Youth of their nation.
Greetings from The Association For The Prevention Of Elder Abuse, The
Gambia (TAPEA). TAPEA ia conducting a symposium in schools entitled "YOUTHS FOR ELDERS", which is part of our Aims in educating the our school going children on prevention of Elder Abuse,
TAPEA visit to the office of the Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Abuse and Neglect . . . Is any action or inaction, by a person in a position of trust, that results in (potential) harm to an older adult. It includes: - Physical - Sexual - Psychological/emotional (including spiritual) - Financial - Neglect - Denial of civil rights * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
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Call 705-742-7778 if you need help or are being abused |
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Let’s look at what we know. So what is older adult abuse? When you consider the definition of Older Adult Abuse, notice that the definition includes ‘by a person in a position of trust’. Though we care about scams, we don’t include them in our definition. Here are some examples of Abuse that are common. Sometimes different types of abuse occur together.
Physical: In addition to the obvious – hitting slapping, pushing - physical abuse may include over-medication, or inappropriate restraint that involves tying up the older person or locking them in a room. Some type of physical restraint may be necessary in cases of dementia where wandering is a concern, but even appropriate restraint can be misused. When in doubt, ask a professional who works with dementia victims. Physical force may have a more serious impact on an older person than on someone younger;
Sexual: Some in the field believe many cases of sexual abuse go undetected because society and professionals fail to recognize sexual abuse in older persons – perhaps due to misperception that the elderly are not likely targets for sexual abuse.
Psychological or emotional abuse: includes frightening, humiliating, intimidating, isolating, or infantilizing behaviours. Often takes the form of threatening the older person with nursing home placement, and isolating the older person. The same behaviours may be more damaging to one person than another – psychological abuse affects a person’s health and self worth, and can result in illness, depression, or suicide. Psychological abuse reduces likelihood of seeking help. Spiritual abuse is the distortion of a religious message that is meant to strengthen and empower people. It includes anything that diminishes the true value of the person or distorts the image of a loving God. It can also occur when the faith community forces its members to give money or change their wills in its favour using manipulation or threats.
Financial abuse: may range from keeping the change when shopping for grandma to complicated types of extortion. Financial abuse is particularly devastating for older persons because of the limited opportunity to recuperate the funds. A recent study in BC found that 1 in 12 older adults had been financially abused, losing on average, $20,000 each.
Neglect: may be intentional (e.g when providing care only for $ reasons or begrudgingly), or unintentional (e.g. incapable due to lack of skill, or own problems) Different types of abuse occur together. How Can We help Edith? Earlier this year, the faith leader in a local community learned that an elderly parishioner (Edith) is going to live with her daughter in another town about 50 kms away. Edith explained that her daughter’s marriage recently broke up and she asked Edith for help by coming to stay with them to be with the two teenage children as her daughter Sue’s work involved a lot of shift. Edith enjoyed being in her own home and community and was unsure about moving in with her daughter because she could be quite difficult at times. But Edith felt sorry for her daughter and grandchildren, so agreed to the plan. For more Scenarios of very real situations click here
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So How Big a Problem is Older Adult Abuse? |
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This issue isn’t new, but our understanding of it is. Only in the late ‘80’s did we begin to realize the scope of the problem, and to understand that abuse of older adults is an issue that has differences from other forms of family violence. The first Canadian study done in ‘89, identified that 4% of older adults reported at least one incident of abuse. A subsequent study, reported in the 1993 document: Canadian Panel on Violence against Women: Changing the Landscape – Ending the Violence, identified the rate of abuse amongst older persons to be 10%. According to the 2001 Stats Can survey, 29% of the population in Peterborough County and City is over age 55, compared to 22% in Ontario (65 yr + = 18% compared to 13% in Ont).( Peterborough County and City has 3rd highest % of seniors in Ontario, after Haliburton and City of Kawartha Lakes). Those rates would put the number of older adults experiencing abuse in Peterborough County and City at between 1400 and 3600 individuals. That would be equivalent to the population of Millbrook or Lakefield, depending on the figure used. While there are actually more cases of abuse to women, men are abused about as often proportionately. Depending on the type of abuse, the outcome for women can be more serious. |
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So How Big a Problem is Older Adult Abuse? It is VERY BIG if you do nothing! |
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"Do you
know someone that is being abused? What will you do about it?
If you will step forward now - it will stop.
If you need help or for more information
call 742-7778 Why Older Persons Don’t Tell Research has shown us that.... Shame (remember the abuser is most often a family member)
Fear of retaliation by the abuser
Some individuals don’t know their rights and fear being put into a ‘home’ if they speak up. Some don’t know that what is happening is abuse, and wrong, and that there is anything that can be done.
Others are concerned for the abuser - for example if the abuse is financial or physical and the police become involved. Another situation is when the caregiver is the abused older adult and the care receiver is the abuser. For example Isabel has been looking after John as his care giver for the past 4 years. They have been married for 47 years. John's physical condition requires medication to be given at specific times during the day. John has been hurting Isabel more frequently now. He punches her and slaps her face. Through out their long marriage he has exhibited periods of violence but never as much as now. Isabel needs to leave him but asks herself, “What will happen to him if I leave?”
Older people are aware of society’s negative attitudes, and may believe that abuse is what they deserve or that no one will care. Like Isabel - who has lived with this for so long - "Who cares? Who knows? I guess I deserve it."
And isolation plays a big part in making it difficult to disclose the abuse |
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Peterborough Community Resources Peterborough Health Unit (743-1000) Peterborough Access Centre (743-2212) Abuse Prevention Network (742-7778) Community Counselling and Resource Centre (742-4258) Peterborough Lakefield Police (876-1122) OPP (742-0401) Howell Fleming Law Firm, Garry Rishor (745-1361) Gary E. Ainsworth, Barr, Sol & Notary (749-0629) Steven D. Partridge, Barr, Sol & Notary (748-2241)
The Peterborough County and City Community Resource List for Abused Older Adults click here
MS Doc of Community Resource List
History of Abuse Prevention Of Older Adults Network - APOAN
Isolation as the Unifying Indicator In Older Adult Abuse
Call 705-742-7778 if you need help, need to talk to someone or are being abused - Someone is willing to listen |
What Can Faith Communities Do? Be knowledgeable about . . . * what it is * how to respond * community resources * Raise awareness through special activities and the pulpit * Strengthen congregational ministry for older persons |
Important Announcement! The CCRD is complete.The Coordinated Community Response Document - CCRD is now complete. It is available in both "pdf" format. After months of hard work by dozens of committed volunteers and professionals the work is complete. Thank you to all that participated in mammoth task. Warning... it is 105 Pages filled with good information. The CCRD was made possible by funds from Federal Crime Prevention Strategy - Community Mobilization Project |
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The
Association for the prevention of Elder Abuse (TAPEA) paid a
courtesy call to the office of the vice president and secretary of
state for women affairs Dr. Isatou Njie –Saidy. Among the delegates
from (TAPEA) that visited her Excellency includes Priscilla Jones
(President TAPEA), Mr. Gilbert Cole (vice president TAPEA) Mr. James
.C. Nwodo (secretary –General) Mrs. Ayo –Reley (Matron) Rev. Charles
F.Mendi (Patron) and madam Fatou. (In the photograph, Priscilla
Jones is meeting %202.jpg)
Priscilla
Jones presenting to the Vice President Her Excellency Dr Isatou
Njie-Saidy our proposal for 2006/07. 