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Older adults can experience several different kinds of harms from people they rely on or trust. Abuse and neglect in later life can affect an adult's health, happiness and safety.
Abuse is not limited to older adults of any particular culture, ethnic group, social background or religion. Approximately one in 12 or 46,000 older adults in British Columbia experience abuse or neglect at some point. Abuse of older adults can occur at home, in the community or in institutional settings. Those who abuse are most often family members (the person's spouse or children), but they can also include friends, landlords and staff.
Abuse and neglect can take many forms, including physical, emotional, financial, sexual, spiritual or social. Some types of abuse and neglect violate the older adult's basic rights and several types are crimes.
Some people learn to use violence and control in their relationships with other people. Many people in society have negative beliefs about older people or may not understand them. Others do not treat older adults with respect. This may increase the risk of abuse or may be the excuse people use for their abusive behaviour.
Some people experience personal problems or stresses that may increase their risk of harming or neglecting others. Living together with older adults or poverty may create family tensions and may lead to abuse or neglect. In some cases, family pride can keep abuse hidden, but caring communities can also help protect people from abuse and neglect. It does not matter who the abuser is, or what the person's reason is, no one deserves to be abused or mistreated.
When abuse or neglect happens to an older adult, it often affects the person's physical and emotional health. Abused older adults lose trust and sometimes begin to question their own judgment and decision making. They can feel depressed and even suicidal. Abusers can also feel mixed emotions about their harmful behaviour. Abuse and neglect have significant impacts on families and communities.
Abuse or neglect rarely stops by itself. It takes many people working together to make it stop. There is no law in British Columbia that requires people to report abuse and neglect of older adults. However, you can help an abused or neglected senior to get help and prevent the situation from getting worse.
If you are a service provider working with older adults:
If you discover a crime or dangerous situation is occurring to an older adult, call the police or 911 immediately. If you are not sure if an older person is being abused or neglected and you want to talk to a health professional, you can call the BC NurseLine 24 hours a day for information and advice.
For resources available in your community, con-tact the Home and Community Care Office in your local health authority or contact the B.C. Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors at 604-437-1940 or at www.bcceas.ca.
The staff of your local Home and Community Care Office has a responsibility to investigate more serious reports of suspected abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults. The Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee may be able to help if the older adult is not mentally capable of making decisions or judging their own ability to live at risk.
For information on legal services, including how to access legal aid and advice, contact the Legal Services Society of BC LawLINE at 604-408-2172 or 1-866-577-2525 (outside of Greater Vancouver) or at www.lss.bc.ca.
Victim Link also provides information for victims of family and sexual violence and crime. You can call 1-800-563-0808 any time and from anywhere in British Columbia. Victim Link offers multi-language services and services for people who are deaf or hearing impaired.
For more information, see other topics in the BC HealthFiles Elder Abuse Prevention Series.
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