Elder Abuse: Shelters for Victims (Canada)

Give them shelters
As many as 10 per cent of seniors will be emotionally, physically or financially abused by a family member. As our population ages, cities are struggling to find secure housing.

Hayley Mick reports
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
July 29, 2008 at 8:53 AM EDT

For two decades, Ruth said yes to her adult daughter. Yes to all the loans, yes to her moving in. But it was a piece of chilling advice that compelled Ruth to finally say no more.

Pack an overnight bag and hide it, a counsellor said. Include $15 so you can flee in a taxi if your daughter becomes violent.

"That certainly shot through me," says Ruth, who lives in Toronto and did not want her identity published. She knew the abuse was escalating. Her savings were depleted; neighbours could hear yelling through the apartment walls.

But where could she go?

At the time, there were no shelters in Canada for people like Ruth - those 60 or older experiencing physical, emotional or financial abuse, most often by a spouse, adult child or grandchild.

Almost a decade later, Toronto is getting its first safe haven for abused seniors. The pilot project, which opens in September at a secret location, is modelled after a successful program that began in Calgary in 1999 (the first in North America) and is slowly spreading to other cities, including Edmonton, Surrey, B.C., and Winnipeg. In Toronto, a senior will be able to live in a private apartment for up to 60 days while they receive counselling and support.

While seniors can experience physical violence, that's reported less often than for younger groups, Ms. Spencer says. More often, the abuse is emotional, financial or both.

Some Canadian cities are using different approaches to help elders in distress.

Calgary's shelter now houses up to 14 seniors at a time.

In B.C., a pilot project developed by the B.C./Yukon Society of Transition Houses allows older women to seek emergency shelter in private homes in four different sites, and in Surrey, abused women 55 and older can find shelter in a transition house.

In Toronto, Pat's Place will open in September. It's only one apartment suite, and seniors who have major security needs or who can't live independently don't qualify. If it's a success, the program could expand, says Lisa Manuel, manager of seniors and caregivers support services at Family Service Toronto.

Abridged
SOURCE: Globe and Mail - Canada
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