Celebration of elders planned
Agencies draw awareness to signs of senior abuse
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Thursday, June 11, 2015
INUVIK
In a place that values its elders, the month of June is going to be filled with activities for them.
June "has been set aside to recognize elders and their contributions," said Sandra Malcolm, an Inuvik community counsellor.
She's the spokesperson for a working group trying to organize a celebration of elders on June 15, which has been designated as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations.
Other activities are on tap as well.
The Inuvik Regional Hospital had been scheduled to celebrate Intergenerational Day on June 1 with residents of its long-term care wing and Grade 5 students from East Three Elementary School but those festivities were postponed due to the cold, snowy weather.
"A group of agencies are jointly organizing activities on June 15 as a way to raise awareness as to how to keep our seniors safe," Malcolm said.
"We didn't want to concentrate just on Elders Abuse Awareness. We wanted to do something more positive."
She said some of the activities planned for that day will involve the elders from long-term care, a barbecue, sing-a-long, workshops and activities in the schools. The organizing committee has just begun planning the event, and more details will be available in the next week or two.
One of the focuses of the recognition day will be to explain what elder abuse is, Malcolm said. While some aspects of it are obvious, many others are far less so, she said.
"It is something that is done to seniors that harms them in some way," Malcolm said.
She began by discussing neglect, which takes various forms.
"The signs are unkempt appearance, broken glasses, lack of appropriate clothing, lack of eye-wear, hearing aid, dentures and other necessities, malnutrition, dehydration, poor personal hygiene, untreated sores, hazardous or unsafe living conditions or arrangements (dirt, fleas, lice, soiled bedding, fecal/urine smell)."
Physical and sexual abuse indications are reasonably obvious.
"The signs are untreated or unexplainable injuries in various stages of healing, limb and skull fractures, bruises, sores, cuts, punctures, sprains, internal injuries/bleeding, dislocations, black eyes, welts and bondage marks (signs of being restrained)," Malcolm said.
"Sexual abuse signs of abuse are venereal disease, genital infections, torn, stained, or bloody underclothing, vaginal or anal bleeding, bruising around the breasts or genital area."
Somewhat less obvious abuse include financial abuse or mistreatment, she said, such as "taking all their money away or taking all their money and buying them only a little bit of groceries or clothing with it.
"Signs can include sudden changes in bank account or banking practice (unexplained withdrawals of large sums of money by a person accompanying the elderly person), coercing an elderly person into signing a document (i.e. contracts, wills), negotiating an elderly person's cheques without authorization, stealing or misusing an elderly person's money or possessions, forging an elderly person's signature, misuse of power of attorney."
Then there is institutional mistreatment, such as "overcrowding, substandard and/or unsanitary living environments, inadequate care and nutrition and aggressive/inappropriate staff-client relations or the use of chemical and physical restraints to exert control over the elderly."
Malcolm said victims of senior abuse do not report it because many believe that it is a private matter, or not important enough to report.
Donald Prince, the supervisor of community wellness for the Beaufort Delta Health and Social Services Authority, said "seniors are easy targets for abuse because they need help from others. Some people who have problems of their own help seniors while hurting or taking advantage of them. When everyone in the community knows what senior abuse is, we can see the signs and then help them find services."
Brenda Jerome, the executive director at Ingamo Hall said "we need to make people aware that senior abuse does happen and that it is not acceptable. We must work with both the senior and their abuser so that everyone learns that senior abuse is not acceptable and that it must stop."
