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14<br />
Administraon Office — 519‐837‐5696<br />
<strong>June</strong> 15 – A Day We Can All Make a Difference<br />
On <strong>June</strong> 15, Elder Abuse Ontario will join communities<br />
locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to heighten<br />
awareness of elder abuse. World Elder Abuse Awareness<br />
Day (WEAAD) focuses attention on the need for ALL to<br />
take responsibility in preventing elder abuse. It’s vital that<br />
caregivers, family members and seniors themselves know<br />
the warning signs and how to proactively act when elder<br />
abuse is suspected. Take a moment to check your knowledge<br />
about this important <strong>issue</strong> affecting so many.<br />
1.<br />
2.<br />
3.<br />
4.<br />
If you answered ‘FALSE’ to the questions above, you understand<br />
what elder abuse is about.<br />
any older adults may not<br />
recognize the signs that it is occurring; they may fear disclosure<br />
will only make the situation worse or they are unaware<br />
of the options available to them.<br />
People often think elder abuse refers only to physical violence<br />
like hitting, but this is only one form. According to<br />
Canada’s Department of Justice, ‘abuse’ refers to “harm<br />
done to anyone by a person in a position of trust or authority.”<br />
Harm, in this definition, is not limited to physical harm,<br />
it also includes sexual abuse as well as “psychological abuse,<br />
financial abuse, neglect or any combination thereof.”<br />
In 2014–2015, the National Initiative for the Care of the<br />
Elderly (NICE) conducted a national survey to estimate the<br />
prevalence of the five forms of elder abuse in communitydwelling<br />
Canadians who were 55 years of age or older.<br />
When neglect was added to psychological, physical, sexual<br />
and financial abuse, 8.2%, representing 766,247 older Canadian<br />
adults, reported being abused in the past year.<br />
T S - J/J/A <strong>2019</strong> — V. 43, N. 10<br />
WEAAD (WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS<br />
DAY) was proclaimed by the United Nations and the World<br />
Health Organization on <strong>June</strong> 15, 2006, and is marked internationally<br />
each year since.<br />
WEAAD supports the United Nation’s International Plan<br />
of Action, acknowledging the significance of elder abuse as<br />
a public health and human rights <strong>issue</strong>. Since its inception,<br />
communities throughout the country and around the world<br />
used this day to raise the visibility of elder abuse by sharing<br />
information about abuse and neglect and promoting the resources<br />
and services that increase seniors’ safety and wellbeing.<br />
In Guelph, the Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington<br />
and Elder Abuse Ontario are presenting a free event on<br />
Thursday, <strong>June</strong> 13, from 10 a.m. - noon at the Evergreen<br />
Centre called “Aging Well in Wellington”. The program<br />
will introduce Elder Abuse Ontario’s Safety Planning<br />
Toolkit, and discuss enhanced communication techniques<br />
when interacting with a person who has dementia. Preregistration<br />
is required by calling the Alzheimer Society at<br />
519-742-1422.<br />
If you would like more information or to be involved in<br />
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, please contact Elder<br />
Abuse Ontario by phone 416-916-6728 or by email:<br />
info@elderabuseontario.com<br />
This article was written by Sheila Schuehlein, West Regional<br />
Consultant for Elder Abuse Ontario. Sheila can be<br />
reached at 647-393-3891 or at west@elderabuseontario.com<br />
Diabetes Support Group:<br />
The Diabetes Support group welcomes new members to<br />
join us on the second and fourth Tuesdays in May and <strong>June</strong><br />
at 9 am in Room 2. Anyone with diabetes or supporting<br />
someone with diabetes is encouraged to come and join in<br />
our peer-support group. Coffee and tea provided! Topics to<br />
be discussed are as follows:<br />
<strong>June</strong> 11, <strong>2019</strong> — Adding fish to your daily nutrition<br />
<strong>June</strong> 25, <strong>2019</strong> — Summer goals for diabetes management<br />
Guelph Family Health Team/Diabetes Care Guelph:<br />
Summer Food Tasting Events<br />
On the last Friday of the month during <strong>June</strong>, <strong>July</strong> and <strong>August</strong>,<br />
Dietitians from the Guelph Family Health Team will be<br />
in the lobby handing out free food samples. These Dietitians<br />
have a wealth of knowledge to share about healthy eating for<br />
older adults.<br />
Make sure you drop by between 10:30 and noon to say<br />
hello on these dates: Friday, <strong>June</strong> 28; Friday, <strong>July</strong> 26;<br />
Friday, <strong>August</strong> 30.