Abuse of Older Adults

The abuse of older adults continues to be a major social issue in communities throughout the NWT. It takes on many forms including: physical, psychological, financial, verbal, sexual, and emotional abuse. While we are starting to see more elders/seniors coming forward to get help when they are being abused, many suffer in silence for a variety of reasons including fear, shame, loneliness, not wanting to get relatives in trouble and so on.

Addressing this issue is a major priority for the NWT Seniors’ Society. We continue to take action to raise awareness and prevent the abuse of older adults. One way we are doing this is through community workshops. The most recent workshop was held at Ingamo Hall, Inuvik on June 23 & 24, 2009. If you would like to view the notes on the workshop, click here.

If you or your community organization would like to have a workshop on elder abuse, please contact Angus Mackay at (867) 920-7444 or call our toll-free number 1-800-661-0878.

We also maintain a small Resource Library on seniors’ issues. We have prepared a list of resources and information on the abuse of older adults that are available through our office. Please feel free to contact us about our resource library at 1-800-661-0878 or email us at: nwtseniors@yk.com. You can view our list of resources and information on the abuse of older adults.

Building Networks on the Abuse of Older Adults Project

The objectives of this project are:

To identify recent/current elder abuse awareness, intervention, prevention practices in the various regions of the Northwest Territories;
To facilitate the establishment of information networks and share information on best/promising practice to address all aspects of elder abuse in the various regions of the Northwest Territories;
To develop support networks for those involved in addressing elder abuse in the various regions of the Northwest Territories.

The key activities involved to realize these three objectives include: conducting a survey questionnaire with seniors, caregivers, service providers and others using a variety of methods; carry out research into best and/or promising approaches, lessons learned, materials, tools and other resources on elder abuse in the NWT and other similar regions of Canada and the world; hold a two-day, NWT-wide Symposium on elder abuse; work toward the enhancement of the Society's repository of information on elder abuse; and prepare a support framework for caregivers and service providers working with older adults.

The expected results are a combination of outputs - survey and literature research reports, two-day Symposium and report, enhanced repository of information on elder abuse, supports network framework document; and outcomes - increased awareness at the community and regional level on the issue of elder abuse and what resources are available, new links and partnerships established to address elder abuse in the NWT and more support for and collaboration between seniors, caregivers and service providers.

The beneficiaries of the outputs and outcomes of this project will be, in the end, seniors in communities throughout the NWT. However, there will be benefits to those involved as caregivers and service providers to vulnerable older adults in terms of information on best and promising practice, intervention and prevention strategies related to the abuse of older adults.

The project results will be disseminated as per the Project Dissemination Plan and will be done through employing several means such as hard-copy mail-outs of literature and other materials that are outputs of this project; email attachments, the internet at both the NWT Seniors' Society and CNPEA'S websites. News and press releases will also be employed to inform the public in general about the results of this project.

The project Evaluation Plan outlines how the results of this project will be measured. The measuring tools will include Symposium participant evaluation forms, final report of the survey findings, NWT Seniors' Society Board member community reports, GNWT H&SS Reports on Interagency meetings, Reports on NWTSS Website hits on elder abuse topics, NWT Victims Services Reports on the reporting of elder abuse.

There are three distinct phases to this project and these are outlined as follows:

Phase I - Information Gathering Activities:

This activity is currently underway. Lutra Associates Ltd has been contracted by the Society to do this work. It is anticipated that the findings from this work will be presented at the NWT-wide Symposium to be held in Yellowknife, November 30 & December 1, 2010 in Yellowknife. Activities of this phase include:

Develop methodology, survey tools and action plan to carry out a survey in selected communities throughout the eight regions of the NWT. The methodology, survey tools and action plan will be presented to the Steering Committee for approval before the survey work is implemented. The contractor will recommend to the Steering committee which communities will be selected for the survey activities. The goal would be to survey as many as 10% of the 50+ population in the selected communities.
Carry out a survey based on the approved methodology, survey tools and action plan in the selected communities within the eight regions of the NWT through telephone contacts, web questionnaires, mail-outs and community visits to: seniors, caregivers, service providers, program developers and policy makers in the NWT.
Carry out an analysis of the survey work and prepare a report on the work for the review and approval of the Steering Committee.
Conduct a literature review of best/promising practice noting what has worked/not worked, lessons learned, etc., in the context of northern remote communities in Canada and other relevant locations in other parts of the world.
Prepare and disseminate the survey report and literature review findings to the Steering committee, NWT Seniors' Society Board, Survey Participants and at the two-day Symposium.

Phase II - NWT-Wide Symposium Activities:

The symposium objectives will be two-fold: Provide an opportunity to network and share experiences as well as best/promising practice to address the abuse of older adults; to begin the process of developing regional and community support networks to address the issue of the abuse of older adults in the NWT. It is expected that there will be approximately 100 participants from across the NWT and six from outside the NWT. The symposium is scheduled for November 30 to December 1, 2010. Activities include:

In consultation with the Project Steering Committee prepare a list of selected participants and send out invitations to attend the two-day symposium. Participants at this symposium will be selected from seniors, caregivers, service providers, program developers, policy makers, First Nation experts, community leaders and academics.
Prepare a plan for the two-day Symposium for the review and approval of the Project Steering Committee that will facilitate information sharing, round-table discussions, bringing together tools, methodologies, best/promising practice from outside the NWT as well as planning of next steps particularly as it relates to the establishment of regional support networks and information networks.
Implement and facilitate the two-day Symposium in accordance with the plan developed in #2 above as approved by the Project Steering Committee.
Ensure that a solid base is developed to set in place regional and community support networks.
Evaluate the outcome of the symposium and whether awareness of the abuse of older adults has increased. These findings would be incorporated into the final report on the Symposium.
Prepare and disseminate a final report on the Symposium to the Project Steering Committee, NWT Seniors' Society and Symposium participants.

Phase III - Internet, Information and Support Network Development:

In terms of how these three networks develop will depend a great deal on what is found out in the course of carrying out the work outlined in Phase 1 and Phase 2. Generally, in this phase, in consultation with the NWT Seniors' Society Staff, CNPEA Volunteers and the Project Steering Committee, carry out the following:

Develop an Internet Network for caregivers and service providers who work with vulnerable seniors/elders in the NWT. This network will become a part of the existing Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA).
Update and advertise the Elder Abuse Repository of Information, which is part of the NWT Seniors' Society's materials, with the survey report, literature review, and the report on the outcomes of the Symposium. This information would include promising approaches, lessons learned on addressing the abuse of older adults.
Prepare a plan of action on the next steps in the development and establishment of Regional and Community Support Networks for caregivers and service providers working with vulnerable older adults.

NWT-Wide Symposium - Building Networks on the Abuse of Older Adults

The NWT Seniors' Society is pleased to invite you to participate in a two-day Symposium on the Abuse of Older Adults in Yellowknife, tentatively scheduled for November 30 - December 1, 2010 at the Explorer Hotel.

This event is part of the Society's Building Networks on the Abuse of Older Adults Project. The symposium will involve seniors, caregivers, service providers, policy makers, academics, community, regional and territorial leaders who are concerned about the issue of elder abuse and want to be a part of eradicating this social ill from our communities.

The Building Networks project has three distinct phases:

Phase 1 - Information Gathering: To identify recent/current elder abuse awareness, intervention, prevention practices in the various regions of the NWT and conduct a survey of seniors and those involved in addressing elder abuse at the community, regional and territorial level;

Phase 2 - NWT-Wide Symposium (Tentatively, November 30 to December 1, 2010): To facilitate the establishment of information and support networks and share information on best/promising practice to address all aspects of elder abuse in the NWT; and

Phase 3 - Internet, Information and Support Network Development: To develop and establish community and regional support networks for those involved in addressing elder abuse in the NWT.

The Society has established a Steering Committee to give oversight to this project. Membership includes representatives from: the GNWT'S Health and Social Services; RCMP; Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA), YK Victims Services; YWCA; Canadian Mental Health Association, NWT Division; Dene Nation; North Slave Métis Association; Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Fort Smith Senior Citizen's Society. The Steering Committee is chaired by the President, Tom Wilson, NWT Seniors' Society and has met several times during the month of May and June, 2010.

Phase I of the project is already underway with Lutra Associates Ltd conducting the survey in selected NWT communities over the next few months. It is anticipated that the literature review and community survey work will be completed by October 2010 and the findings presented at the Symposium at the end of November 2010.

There is no fee for participating in this symposium but participants will have to find their own resources for travel, accommodation and other related expenses if they are from outside Yellowknife.

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