About this Newsletter

Gender-based aspects of violence and abuse in later life are getting international attention, but abuse of older women is still being ignored in many sectors working to combat gender-based violence.

In 2002, Family Services Association (FSA), Toronto and EWA recognized this gap and formed a partnership. With support from Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, Circle of Care, and the Toronto Police Service Elder Abuse Unit, we launched the Weaving the Web project to bring together personnel from the women abuse and seniors’ sectors to address the gaps in service to older women in Toronto who are abused and to develop new partnerships for community-based prevention, such as a training model for elder abuse and women abuse services to enhance the community response to intimate violence against older women. The project kicked off a two-year initiative funded by the Breaking the Cycle of Violence Grants program of City of Toronto to build capacity in Toronto to address abuse of older women.

This newsletter is part of our ongoing collaboration with FSA and the BC/Yukon Society of Transition Houses. It focuses on abuse of older persons with an emphasis on the abuse of older women* by partners, caregivers, children, and grandchildren. We focus on women because two-thirds of victims/survivors of elder abuse are women.

We hope these pages provide some resources for professionals, service providers, and the community to challenge themselves, network with others, learn from the work of other sectors, and address some of the barriers faced by older women. We also hope that the experiences and voices of older women will move each of us to work together for systemic change in this area.

Thank you to the authors who generously contributed their time and expertise. Special thanks to Lisa Manuel, Elizabeth Podneiks, Jill Hightower, and Greta Smith for their inspiring work and commitment.

~ J Bacon and M Sfeir

* Note: Because the overwhelming majority of victims of sexual and physical violence in later life are women and the majority of perpetrators are men (sons, male partners, grandsons) we use gender-specific language throughout this newsletter. However, we know that older men—including gay, bisexual, and transgendered men, and older men who face multiple barriers to service such as immigrant, refugee men, men of colour, or men who are marginalized by poverty, isolation, disability, deafness, and other barriers—can be victims of the same types of violence and abuse. Many of the same dynamics that apply to abuse of older women also apply to abuse of older men.

Funding: This issue was funded by Breaking the Cycle of Violence Grants Program at the City of Toronto, The Air Canada Employee’s Charitable Foundation, and The JP Bickell Foundation.

Please contact EWA for a complete hard copy:
publications@womanabuseprevention.com
Telephone: 416.968.3422 x21