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Message from the Executive Director of BC CEAS...

The B.C. Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors (BC CEAS) wishes to thank the B.C. Institute Against Family Violence for once again offering us the opportunity to put out a shared issue with them and the Gerontology Research Centre. We appreciate being able to reach your readers with information about the issue of abuse to seniors, our organization and our projects.

BC CEAS has been working to prevent abuse to seniors for sixteen years. Our members are from all over the province and include seniors, senior citizen counsellors, senior peer counsellors, seniors' groups and organizations, community agencies, organizations and advocates, as well as multicultural groups and organizations, government bodies, police and criminal justice, community response networks, health victims services and others.

There are approximately 771,000 seniors in our province and 1 in every 12, or 8%, will experience some type of abuse. Over the next 30 years, the number of senior citizens will increase dramatically, until they represent almost 24% of the population.

BC CEAS has a very active Board, made up of 18 members. Over two-thirds are seniors who bring their lifetime of knowledge and experience to our organization. We believe in using the knowledge of seniors to guide us in everything we undertake. Seniors participate on all our project committees, board committees and focus groups. When we are producing educational materials, videos, or working on projects, we first consult with as many seniors as possible to be sure that our work reflects the realities of their lives, knowledge and the needs of seniors.

We will be holding our Annual Conference on May llth and l2th this year, at the Best Western Richmond Inn (in Richmond). We include a brochure with this newsletter. Please consider joining us. The fee is very reasonable in order to allow as many people as possible to be able to participate. The speakers and workshops are excellent. Register early and encourage your friends or co-workers to attend. We look forward to seeing you there. The Best Western Richmond Inn offers excellent service and accommodation, and if you need to book a room, it is a good idea to do so as soon as possible. The block of rooms being held for us at a special rate will fill up quickly.

BC CEAS was awarded a Major Initiatives Grant by the Law Foundation of British Columbia earlier this year. We are reprinting an article we ran in our January issue of A Shared Concern in order to inform the BCIFV and GRC readers about it (page 12). We will be beginning the project in July.

Carol Ward-Hall
Executive Director, BC CEAS