B.C.’s seniors advocate has launched a fact-finding mission to get a better picture of elder abuse and neglect in the province.
Seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie said her office has given Vancouver Coastal Health and other agencies until the end of August to examine the different methods used to track elder abuse in B.C., with recommendations on how to create a singular standardized reporting system.
“I hope we can get an accurate understanding of the depth and breadth of elder abuse and prepare to put in place mechanisms to reduce it,” Mackenzie said.
It is estimated that between four and 10 per cent of seniors in the province experience abuse.
Since 2000, designated agencies have tracked and categorized reports of abuse and neglect, and recorded outcomes, but have not developed a uniform system of maintaining records or reporting on the abuse, neglect and self-neglect of vulnerable adults.
“It’s all over the map,” Mackenzie said. When elder abuse is documented and reported to the seniors’ advocate in a systemic way, using standard definitions and coding, Mackenzie said she will be better able to identify patterns and report on progress or the lack of it, year over year. She expects to release a monitoring report on elder abuse using the new reporting mechanisms in 2016.
