World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) – June 15, 2024

We believe it: stopping elder abuse is everyone’s job. Family and friend caregivers are in a very important position to prevent abuse from happening and to spot signs of it occurring and take action to stop it. At FCBC, we have been a member of the BC Council to Reduce Elder Abuse since 2013, working with like-minded organizations across BC to end financial, emotional, and physical abuse of our vulnerable elders. Please join us in building awareness on June 15, WEAAD.

Who, me? Who, you?

Elder abuse is all around us. Most of us in our lives will be touched in some way by an elder being taken advantage of, at least. Consider the frauds and scams that are now everywhere. Some of us have witnessed abusive behavior, putting the hair up on the backs of our necks. Some of us just don’t want to stick our necks out—“it’s not my business,” or “maybe it’s not abuse really.” Sometimes with our best intentions, we’ll go down a path of convenience and start making decisions that are truly not ours to make, diminishing an older person’s autonomy and right to make their own decisions. We might start accessing our elder’s bank account, for good reasons to us, because “it’s going to be mine one day anyway.” There are lots of slippery slopes coming our way when we are in a caregiving role, and most of us, without a doubt, manage admirably. But, because it’s everywhere, we all must understand what abuse is and how to prevent it.

New Resource Underway: Spending it Right for Family Caregivers

Because financial abuse—or “misuse of funds”—is a common type of abuse, we are very pleased to have received a CREA (Council to Reduce Elder Abuse) Grant to create a new resource that deals with how you can, and can’t, use other people’s money. Armed with specific knowledge, that slippery slope can be avoided. Expected completion is March 2025.