You Are Not Alone
Between 2% and 10% of older adults are abused in some form (Lachs and Pillemer; The Lancet; October 2004; Volume 364; pp 1192-1263) Those who assist abused older adults believe that the rate of abuse is closer to 10%.
There are 1.6 million older adults living in the Province; therefore, the above statistics indicate that there are between 32,000 and 160,000 older adults living in Ontario who are being abused in some fashion by someone whom they trust.
Seniors are the fastest growing segment of our society and their numbers are expected to increase.
Currently there are 1.6 million people aged 65+ in Ontario. The total population of Ontario is expected to raise from 12.55 million in 2005 to 15.66 million in 2025. The seniors age group is expected to grow the fastest and increase from 1.6 million to 3.04 million in 2025. It is expected that by 2025, seniors will make up 19.4% of the population. If we don’t work together to take action today, elder abuse and neglect is going to grow just as quickly as our aging population itself. (Source – Toward 2025: Assessing Ontario’s Long-Term Outlook; Ministry of Finance, Province of Ontario; Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2005)
If we don’t work together to take action today, elder abuse and neglect is going to grow just as quickly as our aging population itself. What can we do? Plenty.
Each of us needs to understand elder abuse and neglect, recognize the signs and how to prevent it from continuing or ever starting in the first place.
Elder Abuse Fact Sheets
Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat (OSS), Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
What you need to know about elder abuse (PDF 80KB)- Ontario’s strategy to combat elder abuse (PDF 80KB)
- Safety planning (PDF 80KB)
Legislation Protecting Older Adults
Other legislation pertaining to Elder Abuse
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms – www.pch.gc.ca
- Family Law Act – www.e-laws.gov.on.ca
- Mental Health Act – www.e-laws.gov.on.ca
- Long Term Care Act – www.e-laws.gov.on.ca
- Nursing Homes Act – www.e-laws.gov.on.ca
- Homes for the Aged and Rest Homes Act – www.e-laws.gov.on.ca
- Residents Bill of Rights – Source: Community Legal Education Ontario, 2005 – www.cleo.on.ca
- Tenant Protection Act –www.canlii.org
- Business Practices Act – www.canlii.org
- Consumer Protection Act – www.e-laws.gov.on.ca
The Aging Journey (video)
As the “baby boomers” (born between 1946 and 1965) age, the seniors population is expected to reach 6.7 million in 2021 and 9.2 million in 2041 (nearly one in four Canadians). In fact, the growth of the seniors population will account for close to half of the growth of the overall Canadian population in the next four decades.
Global News takes a closer look at ‘The Aging Journey’ in a half-hour special hosted by anchor Leslie Roberts and featuring special reports by Allison Vuchnich.
Watch “The Aging Journey” at www.canada.com
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