CANADA: Investment will fight mistreatment of seniors

10 per cent of elderly experience abuse: group By Brett Bundale, The Gazette MONTREAL, Quebec (The Gazette), June 15, 2008: For 25 years, Reine Legros has volunteered at seniors' organizations in Montreal. The 86-year-old knows from experience the issues elderly people face. "We're discriminated against and we face abuse just for being old," Legros said. Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and Legros was on hand at the Complexe Desjardins yesterday as Quebec's minister in charge of seniors unveiled a $1.6-million plan to fight mistreatment of the elderly over the next year. "The abuse of seniors is a problem that is still taboo, especially when it's financial or psychological abuse from family members," Marguerite Blais said. "We hope the extra funding will help this vulnerable population of Quebec." The plan, which is renewable annually, will help fund 100 organizations from across the province that provide services for seniors. As baby boomers age, the number of people age 55 to 64 has never been so high, according to a 2006 Statistics Canada census report. For the first time, the number of seniors in Canada age 65 and older has surpassed 4 million. These seniors are at risk of facing isolation and abuse if strong measures are not put in place, said Gilles Fournier, president of DIRA-Laval, a seniors' advocacy group. "We need to sound the alarm on the issue of senior abuse, especially with our aging population," said Fournier, who spoke at a conference here yesterday to raise awareness of seniors' issues. An additional one-time sum of $392,135 was announced yesterday for a joint project by the Quebec Network Against Elderly Abuse and the Quebec Association for the Defense of Retired Persons. The money will go toward creating an information tool kit for seniors. In 2009, Quebec will unveil a plan called Zero Tolerance, which will offer support to seniors and raise awareness about the abuse they face, Blais said. "We're working on developing the plan now to come up with possible solutions and projects," she said. Nearly 10 per cent of senior citizens will experience some form of psychological, financial or physical abuse, according to the Fondation Docteur Philippe-Pinel, an anti-violence organization. But many cases of abuse are unreported, it says. The stigma seniors face segregates them from society and forces them to retreat into their homes, Legros said. She believes seniors' organizations, like the Carrefour communautaire Montrose where she is a founding member, give elderly people the confidence to become part of a community. "We hold small events where seniors can find friends and enjoy life," Legros said. "We show them they don't have to live the rest of their lives alone." © The Gazette (Montreal) 2008