How to protect yourself from abuse:
- Stay as active as you can - go on outings with friends; volunteer; join a gym; visit neighbours
- Maintain your friendships and maintain contact with loved ones
- Have any cheques that you may receive, i.e., pension cheques automatically deposited to your bank account
- Have bills, such as your telephone bill, automatically paid from your bank account
- Get legal advise when creating, and/or have a lawyer draw up a Power of Attorney for Property and/or Power of Attorney for Personal Care for you
- Only grant attorneyship (as in a Continuing Power of Attorney for Property and/or a Power of Attorney for Personal Care) to someone, or some people, that you know you can trust, and whom you know will respect your wishes
- Write into your Continuing Power of Attorney for Property instructions regarding when it is to come into effect
- Attend educational seminars/sessions that are being offered in your community regarding the abuse of older adults, your rights, senior's safety, etc.
- Call the Halton Seniors Helpline at: 1-866-457-8252
How to prevent the abuse of Oakville's older adults
- Educate yourself about the abuse of older adults and the rights of older adults
- Become involved in the Elder Abuse Prevention Committee of Halton and encourage the development of educational sessions for older adults on their rights
- Learn about the rights of seniors and explain these rights to older adults that you know
- Listen to older adults - take time when speaking to them about their current situation and offer suggestions regarding how they might keep themselves, and their assets, safe
- Take an older friend out to lunch, visit them, call them to see how they are doing - in short, keep in touch older adult family members and friends
If you are being abused or suspect someone is being abused in Oakville, here is what you can do:
- Talk to a trusted person
- Talk to your clergy or doctor
- Talk to the Elder Services Coordinator of the Halton Regional Police Service 905-878-5511
- Call the Halton Seniors Helpline 1-866-457-8252
- Call the local community legal clinic 1-800-668-8258
- Call the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee 1-800-366-0335
For more information on Elder Abuse in Ontario contact the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
