Designing, convening and facilitating dialogues about sensitive topics like Elder financial abuse requires a great deal of responsibilty. For the Elder Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project, we hosted another capacity building training day for partner organizations staff and volunteers 3 months before any of the dialogues began. Today’s training was about building your safety net prior to the dialogues.

The purpose was to prepare each project team should seniors disclose financial and related abuse prior, during or following any of the dialogues. Topics covered included what is elder abuse, signs and symptoms, who can you call for help, the do’s and don’ts of intervention, safety planning and much more.

During the training participants from Mosaic, Immigrant Services Society, John Braithwaite Community Centre, North Shore Neighbourhood House and South Vancouver Neighbourhood House shared stories about elder financial and related abuse in various ethnocultural communities throughout the Lower Mainland.

Many of the participants felt the word “abuse” is not appropriate in various ethno-cultural communities. Focussing more on the concepts of respect, dignity and understanding, will open more doors to safe and honest dialogue. In this way, any discussion of elder abuse must include an exploration of cultural safety and relevance.

Many thanks for our trainers from BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support, Vancouver Coastal Health and Community Policing. As well as to the Government of Canada’s HRSDC New Horizons for Seniors Program for funding the Elders Financial Abuse Awareness Dialogue Project.

Musqueam Elder Larry Grant Welcomes Participants