65 www.rnca.ca Elderly Newfoundland woman’s family say she was made fun of by workers at Baie Verte long-term care. (continued) as we would have liked more answers, we’re glad she doesn’t remember,” said Gray. Foster said she’d be extremely upset if she did know. “She’s a very proud woman and she always was," Foster said. “She overhead themmaking fun and talking about her. As much as we would have liked more answers, we’re glad she doesn’t remember.” — Colleen Gray She said the situation is disturbing because her mother has been treated quite well at the facility and doesn’t complain about anything. Both women say the communication from the health authority could have been better and needs improvement. They hope speaking out could help the other cases, showing there’s other wrong things happening at the centre. Seniors NL says elder abuse is prevalent in this province Elder abuse comes in many forms — emotional, verbal, psychological, cultural, spiritual/religious, financial, medical, physical, sexual or neglect — and incidents in this province are very prevalent according to Seniors NL. “We get about 80 to 90 elder abuse calls a year and of course we’re only the tip of the iceberg,” said Elizabeth Siegel, Seniors NL’s director of information and referral services. The role of Seniors NL is to act as an information and referral source for people who come forward about incidents of elder abuse. An important part of its efforts is the Newfoundland and Labrador Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. Siegel can’t speak specifically to reports of inappropriate activity involving residents at a long-term care facility in Baie Verte but said there are lots of different levels of invasion of privacy from going into a person’s purse or their room and sexual assault adds a whole other level to that. “We get about 80 to 90 elder abuse calls a year and of course we’re only the tip of the iceberg.” — Elizabeth Siegel When people call, Siegel said its Seniors NL’s job to get them to the right resources. That could involve directing them to the Adult Protection Line, the Public Legal Information Association or helping them find counselling or other supports. The Adult Protection Act is the main piece of legislation that covers elder abuse in the province, but it only applies to people who do not understand or appreciate the risk of the abuse they are in. (People with dementia or a limited understanding of their situation.) “The whole point about elder abuse is that it tends to happen to people who are particularly vulnerable. It can happen to anyone, but people take advantage of those situations,” said Siegel. Under the act, it’s mandatory to report the abuse and that includes abuse in long-term care or personal care homes. Though in those cases, Siegel said people are most likely to contact a regional health authority. “We tend to hear more about stuff in the community," she said. Many of the calls received are about financial abuse which often comes with emotional abuse. Siegel said they don’t hear as much about sexual abuse. “Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not out there. That’s harder for people to come forward with," she said. But, she said, it’s important to remind people that because people are over 50 or over 65 it doesn’t mean that sexual abuse doesn’t happen. People speaking out about elder abuse is really important, said Siegel. “When family or victims come forward with their story it can inspire others to do the same, Siegel said. She said it’s important for people to know about their rights and to fight against ageism because sometimes people feel older people aren’t valued or have the same rights as others. www.saltwire.com Where to call Seniors NL – 1-800-563-5599 Adult Protection Line – 1-855-376-4957
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