(From: Home Support Canada, 1993 & McGregor, 1995)

From "Elder Abuse: the Hidden Crime". © Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) and Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) , February 2002, www.cleo.on.ca

Abuse can happen at any age. It is never acceptable.

It is a violation of one’s rights as a human being and it should not be tolerated.

Often when someone is being abused they feel all alone in the world. They may think they are the only person who is being mistreated. You need to know that many people are abused and many people have found ways to deal with these situations.

Some people choose to leave the situation while others choose to remain and take steps to ensure they are as safe as they can be. If you are not ready, or do not want to do anything right now, that is your choice - it is okay. But you can find out information about what you need to know, or do, if you decide to take action at a later date.

Whatever you choose to do there are some steps that you can take to become safer.

It is important to protect your personal documents and think about what to do in case of an emergency. Make a safety plan in case you have to leave quickly. You may want to consider putting together an emergency kit. Items to put in the kit may include:

1. An extra set of keys, I.D., glasses, bank card, money, address book, medication and important papers. Keep this outside of your home.
2. A safe place to go in the event of an emergency (in and outside the house).
3. Escape route from the house
4. Consider obtaining a restraining order to protect yourself.

If you live in a place such as a nursing or retirement home:

Service providers are available in your community to assist you. They will help you discuss your plan for increased safety and help you to prepare to protect yourself in case of further abuse.

By calling the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Victim Support Line you can access trained information counsellors who can provide information and referral services on elder abuse.

Elder abuse issues are generally classified as:  physical, psychological, financial,  sexual abuse or neglect. Unfortunately you  may experience more than one type of abuse at the same time.  Anyone involved in an abusive situation may obtain information and assistance from a physician, police officer, lawyer, banker, seniors' centre, home support programs or public health department. Helpful starting points also include contacting your local Community Health and/or Community Resource Centres.

Many of the services and agencies listed below recognize the complexity of abuse situations and therefore have expertise to assist individuals with multiple types and levels of abuse. Most are listed below under each specific abuse type.

• Elder Abuse Section from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ext. 5650. This is a non-emergency line.
• Partner Assault (ext. 5407)

Community Health and Resource Centres have  general geographic boundaries and offer a wide range of social and medical services: health, information and referral, crisis intervention, counselling, support groups, legal clinics. etc.  Where offered, medical services are generally available Monday to Friday and some evenings.  Each centre serves a specific geographic area.

• The Senior Citizens’ Council’s Directory of Resources at 613-234-8044, or

• The Community Information Centre of Ottawa’s Directory of Ottawa Community Services at 613-241-4636.

See also Counselling Services for a list of resources appropriate for seniors.

If anyone receives a phone call from someone who introduces himself as a telephone technician conducting a test on your telephone lines and prompts you to press a sequence of keys on your telephone, please

DO NOT PROCEED WITH THE REQUEST AND DO NOT PROCESS A CALL.

By complying with this kind of request you are giving the individual a full access to your telephone line which allows the person to make long distance telephone calls billed to your telephone number.

Depending on the nature of the sexual abuse, medical attention may be required. If so, seek help from: a Hospital Emergency Department, a family physician, medical walk-in clinics, or Community Health Centres.

Client-initiated service for abused women. Services include: individual counselling, support groups, and legal aid. Home visits not offered.

Community support agencies offer a number of services to seniors, including: health services, appropriate information and referrals, short-term counselling, social and recreational services, education, day support, health promotion, and home support services. Their mandate does not include case management or long-term counselling. Each agency serves clients within its own geographical boundaries.

• What the Police Can Do
• Ottawa Elder Abuse Coordination Service
• Counselling Services
• Emergency Accommodation and Housing
• Legal Services
• Multicultural and Multilingual Services
• The Council on Aging of Ottawa Resources
• Provincial Contact List
• Services for Abusers

If you have been abused, or  you think someone else is being abused, you can tell the police. Even if you think the incident is not very significant, or you believe you gave the abuser a reason to abuse you, calling the police is an important part of protecting yourself and being a good neighbour.

When you call the police, the police operator will take as much information as is necessary to be able to send the police.

The police might ask for your telephone number and name so that they can get more information from you in the future, or to check some facts.

The police can investigate the report. The investigation might include:

• A detailed signed statement from the victim

• Statements from neighbours, other family members, or service providers who might have evidence

• Photographs of any injuries

• A medical report

• Statements from anyone who knows about previous abuse (for example, hospital staff), or

• Any other relevant evidence.

If the police believe that a crime has been committed, they can lay charges. The police are encouraged to lay charges instead of advising victims to go through the steps on their own. Some victims of elder abuse may not be physically or mentally capable of taking the initiative to charge their abuser. Some victims are more likely to support the prosecution of their abuser if they are not personally responsible for the arrest.

Victims who are concerned about what will happen to their abuser can ask the police for information on the law and the criminal justice system. This might help the victim to be more willing to co-operate with the police.

Victims of elder abuse who are asked to testify in court may be able to get help and support from a lawyer or from the Victim/Witness Assistance Program run by the court. They can ask the police to help them get in touch with the Victim/Witness Assistance Program if it is available in their area. In Eastern Ontario, call 613-239-0392 for information about the Victim/Witness Assistance Program.

In Ottawa, similar services are offered by Victim Assistance Service of Ottawa-Carleton (VASOC), at 613-238-2762.

Ottawa Elder Abuse Coordination Service

The Ottawa Elder Abuse Coordination Service offers a number of services to prevent and address elder abuse in the community.

The Coordination Office operates in partnership with The Council on Aging of Ottawa, the Ottawa Police Service, and numerous other community agencies through the Elder Abuse Steering Committee to ensure effective and efficient service planning and provision.

A full-time elder abuse counsellor staffs the office and functions as a resource and information line for service providers dealing with seniors who are victims of abuse. The Office also provides some front-line services for  seniors experiencing abuse. Services offered include:

• Information and Referral

• Service Provider Consultation

• Support and Advocacy

• Short-term Counselling

• Liaison between service providers and Elder Abuse Consultation Team

• Public Presentations, Awareness and Education.

The Coordination Office operates under a joint partnership between two community resource centres. For services  east of Bank Street, please contact the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre at 741-6025. for services west of Bank Street, please contact the Nepean, Rideau and Osgoode Community Resource Centre at 596-5626.

(return to Community resources…)

In the following, the length of stay varies, as does the type of accommodation.  Fees may apply.

For further information on shelters for women, search www.shelternet.ca. It is important to verify accessibility for seniors.

For housing in co-operative buildings and non-profit housing, please refer to the Senior Citizens Council’s Directory of Resources at: www.seniorcouncil.org.

For housing in retirement residences access "The Directory of Housing and Residences for Seniors in Ottawa" from the City of Ottawa, Client Services Centres by calling 3-1-1, or www.ottawa.ca. It is also available from The Council on Aging of Ottawa at www.coaottawa.ca. As well, the Directory is available for viewing at all branches of the Ottawa Public Library.

Listed below are several agencies which provide legal advice and/or legal assistance in Ottawa. In addition, many private lawyers will provide a half hour of legal advice free of charge.

The Council on Aging of Ottawa (COA) has been  involved in elder abuse issues for over 20 years. A task force was created to develop a coordinated response across community agencies  dealing with the growing problem of seniors at risk of elder abuse.

The Council on Aging of Ottawa's (COA) Elder Abuse Steering Committee leverages the expertise of its membership: social agency representatives, health care professionals, police services, and seniors.  Some of its more recent initiatives include:

The Elder Abuse Resource Directory developed for use by service providers in the City of Ottawa. It includes up-to-date information about available resources for front-line professionals working with seniors who are being abused or who are at risk of abuse. This Directory has been provided free of charge to all of Ottawa’s front-line agencies dealing with Elder Abuse. The directory clarifies how to identify a need for help as well as when and where to find help.

The Elder Abuse Consultation  Team  is  a clinical consultation team to help service providers in dealing with complex cases. This multi-disciplined team is composed of professionals from a variety of backgrounds:  legal, medical, social work, Public Guardian and Trustee, neuropsychology, financial, multicultural, interfaith, domestic violence, education, Community Care Access Centre, and the Ottawa police service. Team members draw on their extensive knowledge and experience in preventing elder abuse, and contribute their time on a volunteer basis.

The Consultation Team  meets on a regular basis to review and discuss intervention options for complex cases of elder abuse in the Champlain LHIN region. Discussion of options is guided by several principles:

• Promoting the older adult's right to self-determination

• Pursuit of the least intrusive or restrictive options

• Maximization  of options available

• Respect for the ethnic and cultural background, beliefs and values of the senior

• Respect for any previously expressed wishes of the senior

• Confidentiality and anonymity throughout the entire consultation process.

Cases are referred to the Consultation Team by  the Ottawa Elder Abuse Coordination Office and service provider agencies. While the Consultation Team discusses options for consideration by the service provider, case management and all decisions and implementation plans are still the responsibility of the service provider who first brought the case forward.

Train the Trainer - Ottawa Police Elder Abuse Training Manual developed by COA for Ottawa's  front-line police officers and other professionals who may encounter cases of elder abuse in their work. The initial class concluded on June 15th, World Elder Abuse awareness Day.

Elder Abuse - NO MORE!  COA  website is intended for seniors and the general public to:

• increase public awareness of elder abuse
• educate on signs and symptoms of elder abuse
• provide supportive ways to respond to and assist those subject to elder abuse
• provide resource materials and web links on elder abuse issues and solutions.

COA Speaker's Bureau provides paid and volunteer professional presenters to speak publicly to groups, agencies, government, and service organizations on elder abuse issues.

The Council on Aging of Ottawa has several studies, reports and brochures as well as videos on elder abuse. The resources are available to the public. Most are available in English and French. Photocopies can be made for a nominal fee.

In an emergency, contact 911 or your local police, ambulance or fire service.

For more information on elder abuse and access to publications, please visit:

Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat: www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/seniors

Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse: www.onpea.org.

Providing effective help in cases of elder abuse requires addressing both the needs of the abused senior, and the needs of the abuser. The abuser may be a spouse, a child, another family member, a friend, or a service provider.

Community resources that are available to assist abusers include:

• Counselling services
• Support groups
• Respite services information
• Educational resources.

Local substance abuse/addiction services available to assist include:

• Royal Ottawa Hospital: Substance Abuse and Concurrent Disorder Program: 613-722-6521 Ext. 6508
• Al-Anon: 613-723-8484
• Alcoholics Anonymous: 613-237-6000
• Amethyst Women’s Addiction Centre: 613-563-0363
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: 613-569-6024
• Lifestyle Enrichment for Senior Adults LESA Program: 613-233-5430

Specific programs for adults who are violent include:

• Men’s Project: 613-230-6179
• New Directions, Catholic Family Service Ottawa: 613-233-8478.

Sometimes people know or suspect that a friend, family member, neighbour or acquaintance is being mistreated or abused and they are not sure what to do. They worry about getting involved, not saying the right thing or wrongly identifying the situation. Please note:

If you know or suspect someone is being abused, make the effort to reach out to the person and talk to them. Ask things like:

• How are you doing?
• Are you having some trouble? Can I help you?
• Is there someone I can put you in touch with who can help?
• How would you like to be assisted?

Ask the advice of someone you trust who might know where to get the kind of help the adult needs. If a person does tell you that they are being abused you should:

• BELIEVE the person. Do not question what they are telling you. You may be the very first person that has ever been entrusted with this information. It may be hard to understand what is going on especially if the perpetrator is a nice person to you or someone you know.

• DO NOT JUDGE the person. Listen to what they are saying to you. Do not express pity or tell them what to do. Tell them you care about them and offer them a level of support that you feel comfortable providing and know that you can provide on an ongoing basis.

• DO NOT PROMISE them things you know you cannot do or do not feel comfortable doing.

• EDUCATE YOURSELF on resources available to older persons who are being abused. You can do this by calling your local community information centre, community care access centre, community support agency, talking to your own doctor, your lawyer or searching the internet for Ontario resources and/or information.

• DO NOT DENY WHAT IS GOING ON. If you choose to deny what is going on do not listen to a person, this will serve to isolate the person who is being abused even further.

• Understand that MAKING EFFORTS TO CHANGE an abusive relationship IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. A person who is being abused can be very afraid and not certain what to do. It can take a very long time for people to decide to make a change in their lives, to reach out for help or to even talk about their situation.

• Allow abused older people to make their own decisions and TO TAKE BACK CONTROL of their lives at their own pace.

• ENCOURAGE the person to seek help and assistance. Offer to help them find the right place to turn to if this is something you are prepared and able to do.

• DO NOT CONFRONT the perpetrator yourself. This could put you and/or the person who is being abused in trouble.