ELDER ABUSE
IT'S TIME TO FACE THE REALITY

Elder abuse is an important issue for Canadians. It is estimated that somewhere between 4 and 10 percent of seniors in Canada experience some kind of abuse. New research conducted by Environics for Human Resources and Social Development Canada has provided the following information * about Canadians' awareness of the issue of elder abuse.

• 96 percent of Canadians think most of the abuse experienced by older adults is hidden or goes undetected.
• 22 percent of Canadians think a senior they know personally might be experiencing some form of abuse.
• 90 percent of Canadians feel the abuse experienced by an older person often gets worse over time.
• Raising awareness among seniors about their right to live safely and securely is seen as the most important issue for governments when it comes to elder abuse with 9 in 10 Canadians (90.5 per cent) rating it as a high priority.
• 67 percent of Canadians feel older women are more likely to be abused than older men.
• 12 percent of Canadians have sought out information about a situation or suspected situation of elder abuse or about elder abuse in general.
• Almost 1 in 20 Canadians (5 percent) have searched the internet for information specifically about elder abuse issues.

A printable version is available in PDF format (164 kb, 1 page). To download and print PDF files, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

* results of a survey of 3,001 Canadians, including 718 seniors aged 65 and older, conducted between May 21 and June 6, 2008.