Senator Seeks $13M to Fight Elder Abuse - Canada

LeBreton seeks $13M to fight elder abuse
Senator wants hard-hitting TV ad campaign
By Norma Greenaway, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Monday, February 11, 2008

Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton says she has sought cabinet approval of about $13 million to finance a national education campaign -- complete with hard-hitting television ads -- to shatter the silence that has allowed elder abuse to remain largely hidden for too long.
Ms. LeBreton, the minister responsible for seniors, says the three-year funding proposal flows from recommendations made in the first report of the government-appointed National Seniors Council, which, among other things, called on the federal government to take the lead in developing and implementing a far-reaching information effort to help people spot such abuse and report it.
"I have made my pitch, and now we're waiting to see if we have the budget for it," Ms. LeBreton said in an interview.

Ms. LeBreton, who is also government leader in the Senate, won't have long to wait. The budget is expected during the last week of February. But even if the proposal makes Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's cut, there is a growing expectation that the budget will not survive a confidence test in the Commons and the country will be plunged into an election campaign by early next month.
The senator envisions ads reminiscent of a gripping campaign launched by the Ontario government in 1994 to raise awareness about spousal abuse. The ads contained graphic scenes of men striking their partners and the message that all people have a responsibility to speak out about domestic violence.

Ms. LeBreton said the campaign provided important information to victims of domestic abuse about how to cope. "They knew where to turn for help and how they could get out of the house and into a safe environment, halfway houses and so on."
Her proposal calls for television and radio ads, as well as printed materials, a 1-800 number and community outreach initiatives that would be designed to help health workers and others who work with seniors, as well as the family and friends of seniors, to spot abuse and know what to do when they find it. The mistreatment can range from financial and physical to emotional and psychological.
Ms. LeBreton said it's difficult to get an accurate picture of the depth of the problem because so few seniors are willing to speak out. The best estimate is that between four and 10 per cent of seniors reported some abuse, based on 2002 data, she said.
The reasons for the data gap are myriad. Shame. Fear. A sense of isolation. And a reluctance to create friction in the family.
Several provinces are already actively tackling the elder abuse problem, but the National Seniors Council said the federal government should step up to the plate to enhance national awareness and promote information-sharing and research on the subject.
The council's next assignment is to recommend specific measures to help low-income seniors, most of whom are women, after conducting a round of public hearings in all regions of Canada.

SOURCE: canadacom