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2004 Report on Behalf on the Board
Report to the CNPEA AGM Toronto, Ontario, 5:15 p.m. Delta Chelsea Hotel March 1, 2004
1. Introduction The mission of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse is "Through communication and collaboration, the Network seeks to increase Canadian society's ability to recognize and prevent mistreatment of older people so all adults can be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation in later life." The goals include:
In this work, the Network strives to be sensitive to the uniqueness of older individuals, and responds in ways that respect the diversity of Canadian seniors in race, culture, religion, language, abilities and sexual orientation.
2. The Growing Need for the Network Why does Canada need a Network of this nature? Last year, a joint federal/ provincial/ territorial government Working Group commissioned an "environmental scan" of abuse and neglect in later life in Canada to get a snapshot of where things stood in the country. Upon canvassing key stakeholders across the country, the authors of the report (Marie Beaulieu, Robert Gordon and Charmaine Spencer) found among other things:
- There was a high level of commitment at the community level, but that all jurisdictions were seriously under-resourced to address the issue appropriately. - There was significant amount work being done in some communities, but the issue was not "on the radar screen" in other parts of the country - Provincial and local governments sometimes lagged in recognizing the inherent value of the community work and understanding the full impact of abuse and neglect on older peoples’ and families’ lives, as well as community wellbeing. - There was a growing recognition that abuse in later life happens because of multiple risk factors at the individual and systems levels; and that both levels of factors needed to be addressed concurrently - There was a growing recognition that whatever responses are developed must respect the diversity within Canadian communities (understanding similarities, but respecting differences) - There was an identified need for a multi-sectoral approach. In particular, that would require collaborative policy development across aging, health, housing, income security, law, and women's issues, among others, with ministries responsible for health and aging taking leadership roles. - There was a need for a national strategy plan in this area. - There was a need to recognize the hidden social cost of inaction.
The report goes on to offer several recommendations, one of which was the need at all levels of government to begin allocating appropriate resources for this work, including operational funding for non-profit and volunteer organizations. This report is just one more testament to a growing awareness that abuse of older adults is an important social issue in Canada. The report along with many "kitchen table conversations" happening with seniors and service providers in different parts of Canada have underscored the need for communities to become ever more effective at addressing and working toward the prevention of abuse and neglect of seniors in a coordinated way that includes all voices, has the appropriate resources, and utilizes resources effectively. It is our hope that working together through vehicles that help link people together (such as CNPEA, as well as provincial and community networks) can help make one part of that possible: the sharing of information across Canada.
3. Snapshot of Some Recent Cross Canada Developments In the past year, Canada celebrated several significant legal and education developments around abuse and neglect of older adults, including the passing of new Adult Protection legislation in the Yukon; the first provincial senior abuse media awareness campaign (Alberta); development and expansion of legal awareness websites and an elder law section of the Canadian Bar Association; two major provincial conferences dedicated to abuse issues in later life in Quebec and Ontario; and growth in two provincial networks. These are important developments. Today (March 1, 2004), Ontario is holding its third abuse conference and in May, 2004 Newfoundland-Labrador will be holding its first conference in this area. There is also a growing recognition that help for abuse and neglect of older adults cannot be limited to community settings: abuse occurs in settings such as retirement and care homes too.
4. Thanks An AGM is always an important opportunity to thank people for their time and dedication to the Canadian Network and its work. First, we would like to recognize the passing of a wonderful person who was very supportive of the Network well before its inception- Ann Angel of Health Canada. Many of us will continue this work in Ann’s memory. The Network would also like to offer thanks to:
5. Where the CNPEA is Headed The CNPEA is developing a new Board with representation from more provinces and territories than ever before. As well, there are a number of other supporters of the Board who have been involved over the years who have offered to continue their support. The Board and their supporters have had two national teleconferences over the last few months and there are plans to continue these. All of these folks are volunteers, doing this work off the side of their desks as the CNPEA currently has no financial resources. Therefore, targeted top priorities for the next year include:
We look forward to connecting with people from all over Canada as we work collectively and collaboratively across sectors, to prevent abuse of seniors. There is a spirit of generosity, commitment and hope in the air!!!
Respectfully submitted by Alison Leaney on behalf of the Board of the CNPEA
Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. Page last updated Friday April 24, 2009 Questions? Comments? Contact Webmaster:
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Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse ~~Réseau canadien pour la prévention des mauvais traitements envers les aîné(e)s
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