Awareness key to protecting seniors from abuse, Saskatoon researcher says
Tuesday marks Elder Abuse Day and a local researcher says awareness is the biggest way to fight it.
Donna Goodridge studies elder abuse at the University of Saskatchewan. She also examines social isolation, an issue that she says is closely related to abuse of seniors.
Isolation can be linked to disability, cognitive impairment, mental illness and language barriers, she said.
Goodridge says the pandemic has increased the risk factors which lead to mistreatment seniors. Not being able to see family and friends as much over the past year has increased the potential for caregivers or family to abuse elders physically, mentally or financially.
“There’s a lot of things that can happen with people who perpetrate elder abuse and sometimes they have a variety of stresses including caregivers who have been pushed to the limit during COVID,” she said.
Financial stress during the pandemic as well as the current opioid crisis has resulted in seniors being taken advantage of financially she adds.
Because seniors come from a generation where personal feelings or mental struggles weren’t discussed, it creates increased potential for abuse, according to Goodridge.
“In the past people kept their private matters private and there was a hesitancy to look bad in front of other people, there wasn’t the openness to share that there is now.”
Talking about elder abuse is key, according to Goodridge, who hopes increased dialogue will protect more seniors now and into the future.
Goodridge says elder abuse must be reported by the victim, much like domestic abuse.
Elliot PausJenssen was a social worker in her professional life and now at 81, she is a volunteer with The Saskatoon Council on Aging.
She says if you suspect someone is a victim of elder abuse, it’s important to remember not to make accusations because that could make them reluctant to get the abuser in trouble.
PausJenssen says that often the abuse is at the hands of a family member and seniors don’t want to jeopardize the relationship with someone who takes care of them.
“It a matter of giving them an opportunity to tell their story in an environment that they feel safe in telling,” PausJenssen says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.