Abused elders urged to speak up, SACPA told
LEARN is making an impact
Many Lethbridge-area seniors face elder abuse — and financial fraud. But now there’s a team with a message: Silence is not an option. And seniors are reaching out for help, a Lethbridge audience learned Thursday.
One of the program’s founders, Lethbridge City Councillor Rob Miyashiro, described how the Lethbridge Elder Abuse Response Network — LEARN — is making an impact.
“We get a lot done in a short period of time,” he told participants at the fall’s first session of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs.
That’s because a number of service agencies are involved, he explained, and staff members network to find the best solutions.
Women over the age of 75 are the most common victims of elder abuse, a panel of speakers said. It can take the form of physical abuse or neglect, threats, withholding medications, name calling, emotional stress, even sexual abuse.
But Miyashiro said 95 per cent of the cases he’s dealt with involve financial abuse — younger family members demanding money, or subreptitiously draining a senior’s bank account.
“Our team has dealt with a case involving millions of dollars,” he reported.
Police, social workers and housing agencies are part of the team, but panel members said grandparents are often reluctant to report financial fraud to police — because that could result in a criminal record for their child or grandchild.
At least 1,300 Lethbridge seniors are the victims of some kind of elder abuse, Miyashiro said — based on a nationwide study by Statistics Canada.
In Lethbridge, pointed out case worker Joanne Blinco, people from a variety of backgrounds — friends, neighbours, professionals and the victims themselves — report suspected abuse situations. After LEARN understands what’s happening, the senior is asked what sort of remedy would work best.
“We stay involved as long as the senior wants,” she added.
In severe cases, she said, victims are offered a “safe suite” where they can escape the abuse. Three seniors have made use of that help in the last five months, she said.
“Sometimes it’s beyond words what impact that has.”
While the program is aimed at Lethbridge seniors, Miyashiro said, it has also assisted seniors who’ve come in from Cardston, Pincher Creek or beyond to seek help.
While the LEARN program has plenty of individual cases to address, he said it also focuses on public awareness and education. Its “safety calendar” provides a wealth of safety tips along with information about what seniors should do if they believe they’ve become victims.