Guest post: Re-framing Elder Abuse Through a Social Justice Lens

December 12, 2018

By Elder Abuse Ontario

When you think of old age, what comes to mind? Do you view aging as the inevitable experience of decline, dependency and isolation? Or do you see it as another opportunity in life to be engaged and empowered?

According to the Frameworks Institute, “the general public consistently treat older adults as objects to be cared for and protected and believe those who experience elder abuse are deteriorating, dependent and helpless."¹ Unfortunately, this kind of thinking is deeply rooted in paternalism and ageism and in order to ‘unlearn’ these perspectives it is important to start reframing elder abuse as a social justice issue.

At Elder Abuse Ontario (EAO), we strive to achieve this goal by applying an intersectional lens, to acknowledge that some social groups are more at risk of elder abuse and are disproportionately affected because of experiences with gender, racism, homophobia, ableism and all other types of intersecting oppressions. In doing so, we are better able to address the social, structural and institutional barriers that contribute to elder abuse as a whole.

Elder abuse is defined as ‘any harmful act directed at an older person, which occurs within a relationship where there is an expectation of trust’. Like all definitions, this is only the starting point for understanding what the interconnected issues and solutions might be. Older adults are often thought of as one homogenous group, defined only by their age. At EAO we recognize that older adults are a diverse group and that acknowledging this is critical in preventing and/or responding to elder abuse.

Elder abuse is a matter that should concern all of us and not just because one day we ourselves may require care and assistance from others. EAO believes it is our collective responsibility to ensure ALL Canadians have the right to make their own decisions, to live life with self-determination, dignity and freedom from exploitation, violence or abuse. Human rights should not diminish with age. As a community we need to acknowledge, then, that in addition to ageism and elder abuse someone may be experiencing other forms of oppression in their lives. We know for example, the complexity and evident intersections with other forms of violence, abuse and discrimination (racism, homophobia, ageism, ableism etc) do not end just because someone gets older.

Reframing elder abuse as a social justice issue, means asserting the fundamental equality of older adults within all their diversities. The Frameworks Institute stresses that “by seeing older adults are equal members of our society, we can inoculate against the Paternalism cultural model, which prevents the public from recognizing the importance of engaging older adults as full participants in society. It situates older people as equal, active, and important participants in communities, which makes people more receptive to solutions designed to prevent social isolation through greater integration into their communities."² (Frameworks)

For more information about Elder Abuse Ontario and the work we do please visit our website at: elderabuseontario.com

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Tagged with: Family Councils Ontario Archive