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Minister of State Wong participates in conference highlighting elder abuse awareness
June 18, 2014 – Ottawa, Ontario – Employment and Social Development Canada
The Government of Canada is helping more seniors better protect themselves from elder abuse, including financial abuse. The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), made the announcement today at an elder abuse awareness conference held at the Chinese-Canadian Heritage Centre.
The host organization, the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre, received more than $21,000 in New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) funding to help raise awareness about elder abuse among Chinese seniors. In addition to hosting the one-day conference, the organization is also running a media campaign on elder abuse, producing several skits to illustrate elder abuse, and creating a brochure.
The Government of Canada has made combatting elder abuse a priority and supports a range of measures to help protect seniors from all forms of elder abuse, including neglect. To raise awareness about elder abuse, the Government recognizes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day each year on June 15, creates activities and information resources, and provides funding for elder abuse awareness projects through the NHSP. The Government has also introduced new legislation, including the Protecting Canada’s Seniors Act, which came into force in January 2013 and helps ensure consistently tough penalties for those who take advantage of elderly Canadians.
To find out more about elder abuse prevention and recognition, as well as other resources for seniors, visit seniors.gc.ca.
Quick facts
- Economic Action Plan 2014 proposed a funding increase of $5 million per year for the NHSP to support more projects that benefit seniors. This is in addition to the $45 million the Government currently 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 such as elder abuse, social isolation and intergenerational learning.
- 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.
Quotes
“Elder abuse is an appalling act and the Government of Canada is committed to protecting seniors from all its forms. Awareness-raising activities by organizations such as the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre will help improve the quality of life for seniors.”
– The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors)“Our event will help create awareness of elder abuse and engage community members on how we can promote dignity and respect towards seniors. Every person in our community is encouraged to promote senior’s rights and ensure they are treated with respect and dignity.”
– Jonas Ma, President, Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre