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Harper Government marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and supports local seniors project
June 14, 2014 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Employment and Social Development Canada
Today, the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), marked the upcoming World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by encouraging communities to get informed about this serious issue and help seniors to protect themselves against abuse.
The Government of Canada has made combatting elder abuse a top priority and is addressing the issue through awareness activities, legislation, and the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP).
During her visit to the Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS), Minister Wong announced over $24,500 in NHSP funding to support its project entitled Breaking the Silence of Abuses: Empowering Elders.
Seniors will play a leading role in the project by helping to produce video recordings of testimonials from elderly people who have experienced abuse. They will also compile resources on elder abuse, including financial abuse, for use in awareness sessions that will encourage peer sharing, mentoring and networking.
The Government of Canada is providing more than $33.4 million in funding for over 1,770 community-based projects across Canada. These projects, approved through the NHSP’s 2013–2014 call for proposals, will lead to new programs and activities for seniors.
Quick facts
- Economic Action Plan 2014 has recently proposed an extra $5 million per year for the NHSP to support more projects that benefit seniors. This is in addition to the $45 million the Government already provides to this program annually.
- Since 2006, the NHSP has funded more than 13,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada. NHSP funding supports projects that focus on issues like elder abuse, social isolation and intergenerational learning.
- On May 13, 2014, Minister Wong launched the NHSP 2014–2015 Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects. Through this call for proposals, which will close on July 4, 2014, organizations may receive up to $25,000 in grant funding for projects that are led or inspired by seniors.
- June 15 is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It was first launched by the World Health Organization and the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse in 2006 to bring attention to the abuse and neglect that some older adults experience and how such abuse and neglect can be prevented.
- To better protect seniors from mistreatment such as fraud and financial abuse, the Government has passed or introduced legislation such as the Digital Privacy Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
- A brochure on powers of attorney and joint bank accounts was released in November 2013 by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors Forum to inform seniors about the risks, benefits and possible unintended consequences of opening a joint bank account or granting someone a power of attorney.
- The Government of Canada website seniors.gc.ca provides seniors, their families and caregivers with important information and resources about elder abuse.
Quotes
“In anticipation of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, our government is encouraging communities across the country to raise awareness of this serious issue and empower seniors to protect themselves. I applaud Multicultural Helping House Society for taking on this project that educates and inspires seniors to work within their community to combat elder abuse.”
– The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors)“Thanks to the generous funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, organizations like the Multicultural Helping House Society have the opportunity to empower seniors through workshops and mobilize key partners and stakeholders in breaking the silence of elder abuse. This program will certainly benefit the seniors ’ population in British Columbia.”
– Tomas Avendano, President and Chief Executive Officer, Multicultural Helping House Society