Coordinated community response to elder abuse

Age-friendly communities
Funding for seniors organizations and communities
Resources to help seniors age in their community
Age-friendly Alberta Recognition Award
Coordinated community response to elder abuse
Inclusive communities for LGBTQ2S+ seniors
Healthy Aging CORE

Overview

We all can help address and prevent elder abuse. Making a difference requires working together as individuals, groups or government, and the most effective actions happen at the community level.

Together, through a coordinated community response (CCR), community and government organizations deliver supports and services and increase ability to respond to elder abuse at the local level.

Community organizations may include:

seniors centres
police and victim services
health service providers
family and community support services
housing providers
Indigenous organizations
LGBTQ2S+-serving organizations
cultural and immigrant-serving organizations
and more

Elder abuse is any action or inaction by self or others that jeopardizes the health or well-being of any older adult. Elder abuse can take several forms, including financial, emotional, physical, sexual, medication and neglect.

What you can do

Use the 5-step process to develop a community response to elder abuse in your community.

Step 1. Starting the process

Start by raising awareness about the issue of elder abuse and the benefits of starting a coordinated community response.

Primary actions

begin the conversation
acknowledge the issue of elder abuse
engage and raise awareness with community partners
acknowledge current and emerging issues impacting older adults

Step 2. Building the team

Engage individuals and organizations to become part of your coordinated community response.

Primary actions

identify and gather key stakeholders
compile a community services inventory
establish a common vision/mission statement
develop a set of guiding principles, for example, group norms

Step 3. Planning the CCR

Determine your community's strengths, gaps and priorities before developing the formal structure for your coordinated community response.

Primary actions

identify strengths and gaps
determine priorities
establish a formal structure
understand roles and responsibilities

Step 4. Implementing the CCR

Decide how you will introduce the coordinated community response plan to your community.

Primary actions

implement the plan
encourage strong team communication
motivate your team
focus on collaboration
continue team building

Step 5. Evaluating the Process

Develop an evaluation process to help you understand how well the coordinated community response is achieving its goals and realizing its vision.

Primary actions

build an evaluation framework
maintain the momentum
re-evaluate and enhance

Get the toolkit

The toolkit is online. Read: Addressing Elder Abuse: A Toolkit for Developing a Coordinated Community Response to Elder Abuse

The toolkit provides details on the 5-stage process along with definitions, templates worksheets and handouts.

Coordinated community response grant

Since 2014, the Alberta government has provided $3.6 million to 31 communities to support the development or enhancement of coordinated community responses to elder abuse. The final term of the grant ended on December 31, 2018.