Yet Canada has no national elder abuse strategy that guides prevention and enforcement initiatives. Instead, many victims must rely on a patchwork of inconsistent services and supports, with too many cases going unnoticed, unprosecuted and unpunished.
This federal election, voters in Saint John-St. Croix and other ridings across the country should be asking local candidates where they and their parties stand on combatting elder abuse. The question is simple. We can each ask our MP hopefuls whether they would support the development of a national elder abuse strategy, if elected to Parliament on April 28.
Among its many parts, a comprehensive elder abuse plan should include measures that improve how the justice system responds to the mistreatment of seniors. For instance, enhanced prosecution of existing crimes and the addition of new criminal offences like coercive control can be useful tools that hold abusers accountable and send a strong message that the mistreatment of seniors will not be tolerated.
Too often, bad actors escape justice because of the hidden and private nature of elder abuse, a phenomenon that is significantly underreported, especially in rural communities.
When potential cases arise, professionals sometimes mistakenly attribute bruises and other signs of mistreatment to old age, particularly if the victim has dementia. A funded elder abuse strategy can help ensure enhanced training for medical professionals, police, lawyers and other gatekeepers to justice, so victim experiences are not trivialized, dismissed or ignored.
It is also hard to prosecute elder abuse cases because many seniors are anxious about testifying in court, especially against an adult child. For vulnerable victims, testimonial aids like closed-circuit television or having a support person in the courtroom can help reduce stress, but the older adult can still be reluctant to participate. “It is not difficult to understand why the elderly prefer to live their remaining days in peace rather than go through the anxiety of a possible court appearance,” wrote two University of Moncton professors in a 1999 report to the Law Commission of Canada about the difficulty of combatting the financial exploitation of seniors.
To affect meaningful progress, there must be the political will to prioritize the many aspects of elder abuse. Yet by mid-campaign, neither leading party has committed to an elder abuse strategy, though the problem has not been totally ignored. For example, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said that his government would pass legislation requiring banks and cell phone companies to improve scam detection, among other measures.
“Fear of scams is a serious source of anxiety for Canadian seniors,” said Poilievre. “A new Conservative government will protect seniors and bring peace of mind to their families by forcing banks and telecom companies to up their game and stop the scam before it happens, not after.”
Such promises are welcome and build momentum for further platform announcements that tackle elder abuse in all its forms, including mistreatment by family members and caregivers.
But it’s time Canada shifts from piecemeal solutions to a coordinated approach that accelerates access to justice for older victims in every community.
This election, ask your local candidate to make their position clear. Will they champion an elder abuse strategy?
Heather Campbell Pope
Heather Campbell Pope is founder of Dementia Justice Canada, a small nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding the rights and dignity of people with dementia.
