Below is an example of a typical situation around elder abuse — if it sounds familiar, keep reading to get info on who you can contact to get help, and what to expect when you make a report.
Q. My aunt is 85 years old and is physically disabled. She lives with her daughter who is her sole care-giver. Often, I go to visit her. I have a suspicion that she is being physically abused by her daughter. I have tried to talk to her about the abuse when the daughter is not around and get the feeling that my aunt wants assistance in dealing with this matter. What can I do? Where can I report this abuse? Is abuse of the elderly a crime?
There is no specific criminal offence called “senior abuse”. However, many acts of abuse against seniors fall under various criminal offences of the Criminal Code of Canada. For example, physical abuse of your aunt could be a form of assault or common assault.
The Adult Guardianship Act
Some seniors and other adults face more barriers than others when they need to ask for help or safely remove themselves from a situation. You may be able to get some help for your aunt under the Adult Guardianship Act which came into effect in British Columbia in 2000. Part 3 of this law covers adults who are abused or neglected and not able to seek support and assistance on their own due to:
- physical restraint;
- mental or physical disability; and/or
- illness or injury.
Under this legislation, the Public Guardian and Trustee has given responsibility to many local community services to look into situations of abuse, neglect and self-neglect. These services, called “designated agencies” will consult as much as possible with the person being abused or neglected about any actions taken on their behalf.
The Designated Agencies
The designated agencies are the five Health Authorities and Community Living Services of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. There is usually a designated agency in each area that one can call to report abuse of vulnerable adults in that community.
How to Find & Contact an Agency Close to You
For specific numbers for designated agencies in your community, you can contact the Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia, or get contact info for each community in BC directly from their website (www.trustee.bc.ca).
When on site, look for the link to “Helping an Adult Get Support and Reporting Abuse or Neglect“. The direct link to this page is: http://www.trustee.bc.ca/pdfs/STA/abuseneglect.htm. This page includes a link to an up-to-date PDF which lists the designated agencies for communities in BC and their contact info.
How a Report is Handled
When you call the designated agency in your community and report the abuse, then that designated agency has a mandate to look into your report. If the adult falls under one of the three criteria mentioned above (and is someone who is unable to seek assistance or make decisions about the abuse or neglect), then the designated agency looks into the report of abuse and will report to the police if a crime has been committed. In doing this, they will consult and involve the adult as much as possible.
If a report of abuse is made to the designated agency and the adult does not fall under the criteria under Part 3 of the Adult Guardianship Act, then the designated agency can still look into the report of abuse. In this case, even if they do conclude that a criminal offence has been committed, they are not required to make a report to the police. They may assist the individual by providing other options for assistance. They may suggest that the individual make a direct report to the police, or they may ask the individual to seek assistance and support from their local community by contacting the Community Response Network.
Community Response Network
A Community Response Network (CRN) is a group of people and organizations who have come together in the community to coordinate support and assistance for adults who are being abused. Most communities in B.C. have CRNs. To contact a CRN in your community, go to the CRN website at www.bccrns.ca. Once on site, you can read more about CRNs and use the “Contact a CRN” link to locate the CRN in your community. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can contact BCCEAS to get the contact numbers for designated agencies and CRNs in your area.
Posted on: Saturday, August 8th, 2009
In section(s): Elder Abuse
