Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 35 The Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism (SSM) received funding through New Horizons for Seniors (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada) for a 3-year (2010-2013) community-focused project that draws individuals and organizations together for the purpose of Elder Abuse Prevention and Response Networking. This networking will work toward building community frameworks for prevention and intervention strategies, and reducing incidents of Elder Abuse to the end that zero tolerance becomes the norm. As a starting point, the World Health Organization’s definition of Elder Abuse has been embraced – “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. Elder abuse can take various forms such as physical, psychological or emotional, sexual and financial abuse. It can also be the result of intentional or unintentional neglect.” A key response to this definition is raising awareness through dialogue and education while assisting a community and its members to provide a foundation of safety and security. Steering Committee Members have made use of some of the components from a British Columbia model for developing Community Response Networks. SSM is working with four partner organizations on this project – Lifelong Learning Centre, Saskatoon Council on Aging, Southwest Council on Aging and Prince Albert Community Against Family Violence. By hosting a series of round table meetings, spearheaded by SSM, the aim is to gather information on what protocols currently exist in our province, how to coordinate elder abuse awareness and response effectively by utilizing community services and agency supports, and how to communicate the strategies to urban centers, rural settings, and remote or isolated areas. The four partner organizations met for the first roundtable gathering in Saskatoon in June of 2010. Since 2010, roundtable gatherings have been held in Swift Current, Yorkton, and the Battlefords to gather together service providers and “front line” agencies from those areas to share information and strategize about ways to network regarding elder abuse prevention, intervention and education. We plan is to hold more of these regional roundtable gatherings in other areas of the province. One provincial gathering was held to discuss how we network throughout the province. We have also held a roundtable specifically focussed on how to respond to phone calls reporting possible abuse. Several more gatherings are planned for the coming year. ELDER ABUSE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE NETWORK A key response to this definition is raising awareness through dialogue and education while assisting a community and its members to provide a foundation of safety and security.
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