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June-July-August 2019 issue small revised

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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.

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