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A Shared Concern: Newsletter of the B.C. Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors

Annette McCullough, MSW RSW

The B.C. Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors (B.C.CEAS) is the fruit of ten years of co-operative work by various community groups concerned about the abuse of elders.

HISTORY

Although the British Columbia Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors (B.C. CEAS) was officially registered under that name only in 1994, our members have been active on issues of elder abuse for over ten years.

BC CEAS began as a committee of the Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC) promoting awareness of the needs of abused seniors, addressing community agencies, service providers and government. We sponsored conferences and published, in association with other community groups, brochures which helped people identify the different kinds of abuse.

A video, Stop the Silence and a Leader Training Kit (revised this year) still help raise consciousness about elder abuse. Our newsletter, A Shared Concern, keeps members current on issues, research and initiatives.

In 1992 B.C. CEAS members undertook an active role initiating and leading the reform of adult guardianship legislation in B.C. and continue to be involved in development of services and policy related to the new legislation.

Many communities have asked for Connecting workshops, a series of workshops which help agencies work together on an integrated community response. A Seniors' Independence Project funded the first eight Community Response Networks. Since then a number of other communities have asked for these "kickstart" workshops. Recently, consultants have noticed that workshop participants are fairly well aware of the issues; they want to know what the resources are and what they can do to help.

"Some communities, like Langley, actually discuss individual cases and take appropriate action, but most of them are concerned about confidentiality, so they don't go that far," said Connie Chapman, a consultant who, with legal resource consultant Pearl McKenzie, is doing Connecting workshops with several communities.

Lately, because social service funding is limited, and because many communities still lack an integrated approach to abuse of seniors, B.C. CEAS has been focusing on outreach to seniors themselves.

"Seniors trust seniors," says Katherine Zanatta, an Abbotsford member. But abuse is a frightening subject for seniors, so there is a growing emphasis on seniors' rights and the strengths they've developed over the years.

"Seniors have a `keep it in the family' ethic, but they do want to help their friends, so they'll respond to that approach," says Coordinator Donna Stewart, a senior herself. "The problem is that abusers often increase their control by isolating the senior. Reaching isolated seniors is a big challenge. Some agencies like North Shore Neighbourhood House have Home Visitors; so there is hope in some communities.

We have yet to discover what happens to physically and mentally challenged people when they confront the ageism in our society, but hopefully the new Guardianship legislation will provide them with protections they don't have now."

As a provincial coalition, B.C. CEAS operates out of a shared office in Burnaby, hiring consultants to do workshops which cannot be done by volunteers. The Board includes representatives from several regions of the province, but there isn't funding to bring them to Vancouver for meetings.

"We've moved our Annual General Meeting to Vernon this year; so that should help, and we're exploring the possibility of holding some meetings by teleconference, " says President Linda Tod. "The latest challenge has been a request to confer `chapter status' on some of the Elder Abuse Committees which want to do local fundraising to support their activities. We're doing our best to meet the needs and we think we're making a difference."

B.C. Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors Message from the President, Linda Tod In recognition of our Second Annual General Meeting (held June 9-10, 1995 in Vernon, B.C.) as a non-profit society with a registered charity number,it is a good time to reflect back on our ten year odyssey. It was in 1985 that a conference in Richmond provided the impetus to form an organization around the issue of Elder Abuse. Many, many people and organizations provided time and space and our organization kept slowly growing. I want to thank everyone who supported us over the years by volunteering or by services in kind for a job well done. Currently, we are receiving project funds from the Office for Seniors and The Notary Foundation, and service support from Information Services Vancouver (Victims Information Line), B.C. Institute on Family Violence, and New Vista Society. It is through all of us working together that we are able to keep the dialogue going about the issues. We are looking forward to this coming year and to greater involvement in developing community networks as the Adult Guardianship Act is proclaimed.

Report from Cranbrook:  The Cranbrook Committee Against Elder Abuse held their Third Annual Elder Abuse Awareness week May 15-20 by city proclamation.

The local cable station showed an interview by two of the committee members along with the Stop the Violence video. Local and regional papers included an article and short one line messages about elder abuse.

The committee has been experiencing difficulty recruiting and retaining senior members. Part of the problem is related to finding an appropriate role for the seniors that doesn't violate the confidentiality of the cases reviewed by the committee.

Current goals of our group are to maintain our existing network and to periodically review cases to determine if we are utilizing resources effectively and identifying gaps in our community response to elder abuse.

Darcy Russell

Report from the North East:  Much time and energy of service providers is being channeled into New Directions and Regionalization, a situation which does take away from the community development for Prevention of Abuse and Neglect in Adults.

Service providers are also hesitant about developing community protocols prior to the proclamation of the Guardianship legislation. They do not want to have to redo their work if there is going to be a mandate for one agency/program to have this responsibility.

Last but not least, it has been difficult to involve seniors in the process. From their own perspective, they do not agree there is a problem. On a brighter note, this topic may be on the "back burner" but it is not "off the stove!"

Joan Eales, Dawson Creek

Mission Reports:  Mission's first "consciousness-raising" event on abuse of seniors:

On April 12, 1995, Donna Stewart of B.C. CEAS (B.C. Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors) provided a viewing of a recently produced video (titled Is There a Way Back? it is co-produced by B.C. CEAS and Justice Institute) to a gathering of care-givers and seniors in Mission.

The event, organized by Marsha Drake of Seniors' Connection and Cathie Marcellus of Lifetime Learning, was held in the activity lounge of Grand Street Lodge, an Intermediate Care facility. In the video, Donn and Margaret Huber of the Justice Institute acted the parts of a mother and daughter whose relationship has deteriorated to the point of abuse. Six scenes show the progression of events from financial exploitation to physical abuse, and the way the mother is helped to take charge of her life and escape from her predicament.

Each scene of the video was followed by a lively discussion well facilitated by Donna, and the group was unanimous in feeling that it had been given a great deal of insight into this serious problem. The video should be required viewing for everyone engaged in seniors' care.

Cathie Marcellus

Abbotsford:  The Abbotsford-Matsqui Association for Healthy Aging (AMAHA) worked with the Network of Burnaby Seniors (NOBS), the New Vista Wellness Committee, B.C. CEAS and the Langley Elder Abuse Network to plan a June 14/15 conference for seniors on abuse and guardianship issues. Pearl McKenzie was the conference speaker. Donna Stewart and Joyce Schmalz led a video workshop on changing power dynamics in a family as the widowed mother ages. The second day of the conference focused on action plans.

Langley Coalition For Prevention Of Abuse And Neglect Of Seniors

I. What plans and projects are currently underway by your agency/committee?

Elections were held in April and the following positions were filled:

Chairperson:  Doreen Warneboldt, Geriatric Outreach - Mental Health

Co-Chair:  Margaret Stocks, Senior Citizen Counselor (MSSH)

Treasurer:  Vivien Smith, Social Worker - Langley Memorial Hospital

Secretary:  Gladys Utendale, Langley Home Support

II.What problems or obstacles are you meeting?

Protocols for service providers and agencies that have contact with Seniors have been published in a user friendly booklet. Our Coalition is now ready to give presentations of Elder Abuse and distribute the booklet to interested agencies and organizations. Many thanks to North Shore Community Services and Prince George as our protocols are adapted from theirs.

Doreen Warneboldt

Prevention Initiatives:  The Cedar Cottage chapter of Volunteer Grandparents did a consciousness- raising workshop under the title "Does Your Friend Need Help?" Although seniors often resist learning about abuse because it's too frightening, they responded to this approach. Nancy Blain co-ordinates the program.

North Shore Neighbourhood House sponsors outreach to isolated seniors under the direction of David Waugh. He uses volunteer home visitors to contact seniors who are referred to him by concerned apartment managers or the Seniors Centre. He invites them to lunch/trip outings or to regular programs such as the Men's Club. He works with volunteer peer counsellors when a need is identified.

Seniors West End Link, concerned about isolated seniors, is currently surveying apartment managers about their needs. The goal is to publish a useful Resource Guide and perhaps sponsor a workshop for the managers.

New Publication

The Canadian Association on Gerontology's book Abuse and Neglect of Older Canadians: Strategies for Change has just been published. Pearl McKenzie, Linda Tod and Penny Yellen (from Winnipeg) wrote a chapter titled, "Community-Based Intervention Strategies for Cases of Abuse and Neglect of Seniors." To order, call toll free:
1-800-387-0172.

OLDER WOMEN'S LONG-TERM SURVIVAL PROJECT (OWLS)

The Older Women's Long-Term Survival Project (OWLS) in Calgary has just completed A Handbook for Older Women Survivors of Abuse. The Handbook is simply written for survivors and is small enough to be tucked into a purse. The booklet is intended to assist women in breaking the silence about what is really happening in their lives. It names and briefly discusses some of the major long term after-effects of having experienced abuse which have been identified by older women in the OWLS support groups.

Practitioners working with older women will find the handbook a useful resource in understanding adult survivors and responding more sensitively to women who may have experienced trauma.

The handbook is available for sale June 15, 1995 at a cost of $5 plus $1 postage and handling. (35 pp, spiral bound). The Older Women's Long Term Survival Project is funded by New Horizons, Health and Welfare Canada.

To order contact:
OWLS c/o King Tower
807 - 6 Street SE
Calgary, Alberta T2G 4V8
Telephone (403) 253 - 2912

Letter to A Shared Concern WHO SPEAKS FOR THE AT RISK ELDERLY? Who speaks for the elderly who are considered "at-risk", a term in current health care usage to identify or classify a group of elderly citizens who may require additional health care services, particularly acute care hospital or care facility placement. The question is, in regard to health care service options and rights, who speaks for those frail elderly at-risk persons who do not have family or friends willing to speak or advocate on their behalf? We have begun to wonder about abuse of the at-risk elderly. We generally think of abuse as physical, emotional, mental, sexual and financial. But we wonder if the at-risk elderly are being abused by the health care system. Is the health care system the greatest abuser of the at-risk elderly? Who speaks on behalf of: the person who cannot speak above a whisper the person frightened or intimidated by the professionals, the health care system and their own deteriorating health the person who needs someone to speak slowly and repeat important information more than once to ensure it is understood the person for whom English is a second language the person who is slightly confused and gets labeled by not knowing the date or a current news story the person who can carry on an excellent conversation not based on reality when their reality is not known or explored the person with an unlovable personality the person who is frail or in poor general health and lacks the energy to articulate their needs. We are pleased with the new, though not yet proclaimed, Adult Guardianship legislation and particularly the Representation Agreement Act, as outlined in "Decisions of Today and Tomorrow" as published by the Ministry of the Attorney General and Ministry of Health and Ministry Responsible for Seniors. However, we still wonder who will speak or advocate on behalf of the at-risk elderly. Muriel Quiring and Phyllis Davies Penticton, BC

Since our last newsletter, I have several times escaped into the field to do grassroots work: to Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House, to Lifetime Learning in Mission, to a Connecting workshop in Kelowna, and to Abbotsford and White Rock where seniors are planning a Seniors' Rights approach to abuse.

At Cedar Cottage, during a short workshop with the Volunteers With Kids, one of the senior volunteers who visits in nursing homes confirmed the prevalence of financial abuse. "As far as I can see," she said, "Powers of Attorney are always abused."

At Mission, where seniors mixed with service providers for a video workshop, Long Term Care workers had many stories of people whose relatives denied them, from their pensions, the smallest amounts for clothes or treats. "But if we say too much, they'll take their relatives out of care, and they'll be worse off than ever."

At Kelowna, the Transition House director, the lawyer, the Victim Assistance worker and the senior Hospital Board member all had examples of problems with no easy-to-access-solutions.

Back in the office, dealing with callers who'd been shunted from one agency to another without finding help, I realized still more vividly that the problems are multiplying though the services are stretched taut, especially in communities like Coquitlam with no co-ordinated response procedures.

Still, it is heartening to see new communities like Trail take up the challenge, and it is encouraging to respond to requests for materials from the Sto:Lo nation and others. I would like to welcome new members: the Lilloet Indian Band, Beverly Hurd of Fort Nelson, Rainbow Gardens of Port Alberni, an inter-agency committee in Sault Ste. Marie, the Legal Services Society library, the Elder Abuse Resource Centre in Winnipeg, Jacqueline Senning and the Nanaimo Elder Abuse Committee.

It is a joy to have new resources like the revised Leadership Kit, and to deal with enquiries from prospective volunteer seniors like Tricia Alford and Phyllis Bentley. It has been a special joy to welcome Laura Lawler, our new clerical assistant, who will staff the office on Fridays at least until her Capilano College courses start in the fall. We're a long way from eliminating abuse of seniors, but we're moving in the right direction.

Donna Stewart