Preventing Elder Abuse & Neglect

Preventing the abuse of yourself

Stay as active as you can - go on outings with friends; volunteer; join a gym; visit neighbours
Maintain your friendships and maintain contact with loved ones

Have any cheques that you may receive, i.e., pension cheques automatically deposited to your bank account

Have bills, such as your telephone bill, automatically paid from your bank account

Get legal advise when creating, and/or have a lawyer draw up a Power of Attorney for Property and/or Power of Attorney for Personal Care for you

Only grant attorneyship (as in a Continuing Power of Attorney for Property and/or a Power of

Attorney for Personal Care) to someone, or some people, that you know you can trust, and whom you know will respect your wishes

Write into your Continuing Power of Attorney for Property instructions regarding when it is to come into effect

Attend educational seminars/sessions that are being offered in your community regarding the abuse of older adults, your rights, senior's safety, etc.

Preventing the abuse of older adults

Educate yourself about the abuse of older adults and the rights of older adults

Become involved in your local abuse of older adults Committee or Network and encourage the

development of educational sessions for older adults on their rights

Learn about the rights of seniors and explain these rights to older adults that you know

Listen to older adults - take time when speaking to them about their current situation and offer

suggestions regarding how they might keep themselves, and their assets, safe

Take an older friend out to lunch, visit them, call them to see how they are doing - in short, keep

in touch older adult family members and friends

If you are an older adult who is being abused, or you know an older adult who is being abused

Information regarding how you might remove yourself from the abusive situation safely, may be found on the Ontario Seniors Secretariat website. Fact Sheet: Safety Planning for Older Persons (PDF 80KB)

For further information

The Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse's Website: http://www.cnpea.ca/prevention.htm

More information for you...
http://www.cnpea.ca/prevention.htm