Getting Help
Elder Abuse & Getting Help for Seniors
In this section of our website we provide information for older adults, those that care about them, and those that advocate on their behalf. We provide information and resources on Elder Abuse in the various pages listed. These include:
- Older Adults & Elder Law Ethics
Introduction to the older adult population in BC, and some issues that arise in our work:
- Seniors First BC’s approach to advocating for older adults
- autonomy vs independence
- barriers to access to justice for older adults
- legal capacity and dementia
- third parties
- vulnerabilities
- Complaints
Seniors are vulnerable to inadequate treatment or services, incuding from or by :
- medical and other professionals
- care homes and care home staff
- other forms of seniors living
- police and RCMP
- consumer issues
- government agencies
- employment matters
- transportation
- Elder Abuse and Neglect
How to identify and respond to elder abuse and neglect.
- what elder abuse is
- Types of abuse & Indicators
- Prevalence
- Profiles
- Possible Reasons
- Responses
- Information on Programs and Benefits
Income security and other programs for Seniors in BC:
- federal income security – CPP/OAS/GIS
- provincial programs – housing programs, SAFER, Social Assistance, home adaptations
- municipal and agency programs – tax clinics, forms filling, seniors centres
- dentist and dental hygienist programs
- transportation programs
- Legal Information
Information on legal programs and legal matters of concern to seniors
- advance planning (power of attorney, representation agreement, advance directive)
- consumer protection
- debt and bankruptcy
- family law
- housing
- human rights
- immigration and refugee
- mental health
- wills & estates
- Getting Legal Help
Where to go for help with a legal problem
- Seniors First BC Elder Law Clinic
- Law Student Legal Clinics
- Lawyers
- Legal Advocates for Seniors
- Notaries
- Glossary
There are a large number of terms and acronyms used in this area – we provide a glossary to help.
Our e-book Understanding and Responding to Elder Abuse is designed for workers in B.C. who work with older adults who have been abused and neglected.
The E-Book covers types of elder abuse and risk factors, B.C. government programs and community services available for older adults who are abused and neglected, and practice tips on how to work with older adults who have been abused.
The E-Book also includes resources, information, links, video interviews with local stakeholders, and role play video scenarios on how to address different types of elder abuse.
Click here to access the e-book.
In addition, Legal Issues in Residential Care: An Advocate’s Manual is a Clicklaw Wikibook prepared by Seniors First BC meant for legal and health care professionals working to support people in residential care, as well as the Seniors First BC legal team.
This Wikibook is an online guide to legal issues with regard to residential care in British Columbia, and the processes and solutions needed to deal with them.
Click here to access this wikibook.