15 September 2009
Everyone has a responsibility to ensure the safety of senior citizens, says a Hamilton detective.
The Chatham-Kent Elder Abuse Awareness committee organized a recent education seminar, held at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 28.
Det. Ed Lum, of the Hamilton Police Service’s Crimes Against Seniors Unit, presented various case studies of elder abuse he’s encountered on the job.
These included worker on resident, resident on resident, and child on parent.
Elder abuse can include physical, sexual, emotional, financial and neglect.
These can occur either at home or in a long-term-care facility.
“A lot of times families don’t trust nursing homes,” he said. “(But) I don’t want to slam all nursing homes.”
Lum said there are cases that could have been avoided if administrators were more proactive in seeing the signs.
He said it can sometimes be difficult to investigate a crime, particularly if the victim is cognitively impaired.
“Our goal is to reduce or minimize the risk,” he said.
Nearly 100 people from different community organizations attended the event, with Lum also answering questions.
Abridged
SOURCE: The Chatham Daily
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