Elder Abuse - Introduction
Elder abuse is harm done to an older person by someone in a special relationship to the older person.
Elder abuse includes:
- Physical abuse such as slapping, pushing, beating or forced confinement;
- Financial abuse such as stealing, fraud, extortion or misusing a power of attorney;
- Sexual abuse as sexual assault or any unwanted form of sexual activity;
- Neglect as failing to give an older person in your care food, medical attention, or other necessary care or abandoning an older person in your care; and
- Emotional abuse as in treating an older person like a child or humiliating, insulting, frightening, threatening or ignoring an older person.
Elder abuse can sometimes also be a crime under the Criminal Code of Canada. Examples of possible crimes include:
- Physical abuse such as assault, assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm, aggravated assault, sexual assault with a weapon, aggravated sexual assault, forcible confinement, murder or manslaughter;
- Financial abuse such as theft, theft by holding power of attorney, stopping mail with intent, extortion, forgery or fraud;
- Sexual abuse such as sexual assault with a weapon or aggravated sexual assault;
- Neglect such as criminal negligence causing bodily harm or death or failure to provide necessaries of life; and
- Emotional abuse such as intimidation, uttering threats or harassing telephone calls.
On May 6, 2021 Graham Webb was invited to testify before the House Sanding Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He spoke on the issue of Elder Abuse including the insufficiency of current laws in fighting elder abuse...explicitly penalizing those who neglect seniors under their care and how to more effectively combat elder abuse.
Click to view Graham's testamony starting at the time mark of 12:16.
More Information
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