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EWA Newsletter on Older Woman Abuse

Community Identified Need
Older Woman Abuse as one aspect of elder abuse and neglect is not a new phenomenon but is seriously under-recognized and under-addressed in Seniors', Elder Abuse and violence against women (VAW) initiatives in general. It is an overwhelming and complex issue. A review of 37 studies of American and Canadian studies show clear gaps in research and the community response to domestic violence in later life. Several studies suggest collaboration between elder abuse and domestic violence advocates will be more effective in reducing the incidence of older woman abuse.

As our population ages it is becoming more of a concern for many in the violence against women (VAW) community and those working in elder abuse issues. Studies in Canada and the US show that between 4 and 10% of the elderly population are either at risk of or are experiencing abuse from their caregivers, families and within institutions. Additionally, there is no reason to believe that the incidence of woman abuse is any less for women who are older than for the general population of women. Abuse of women in intimate relationships does not ‘magically' stop at the age of 55 or 65. In some cases, the violence may actually worsen with age; the effects may in fact be more severe due to increased frailty and vulnerability on the part of the victim.

While both men and women are abused, it is estimated that 2/3 of victims of abuse in later years are women, even when this is corrected for by the fact that there are more older women in the population. In the clinical practice at FSA Toronto 2/3 of abusers are adult children/grandchildren and 1/3 are intimate partners.

Many respondents to a survey conducted at the Weaving the Web Conference in 2003 in Toronto said they wanted to move away from traditional approaches and to create new approaches for working with older women who are abused. It also became clear from participants feedback that little was known about by both violence against women (VAW) and Seniors' service providers about the work and issues of the other sector.

Research shows that many older victims of domestic violence do not seek services from agencies such as the police and health care professionals (OWN, 1998) and may not tell anyone about the abuse (Podnieks, 1992). Several studies suggest collaboration of elder abuse services with violence against women (VAW) services and advocates (Dunlop, 2000, Wolf, 1998; Harris, 1996). violence against women (VAW) services in Toronto serve very few older women and most shelters will not serve a woman with more than minimal assistance needs. There are counseling programs designed for older women at FSA and Circle of Care but referrals to these programs in no way reflect the actual incidence of older woman abuse in the Toronto community.

There are a number of elder abuse prevention projects across the province. Generally, these programs focus primarily on financial abuse (fraud), physical assault and neglect by caregivers and other family members and abuse in institutions. Some of the programs mention sexual assault, but intimate violence is generally not a focus of existing programming. In our research on these projects there were few or no resources available on domestic violence which are specific to the needs of older women. One example is safety planning materials which are prepared without addressing issues for older women who may have been in abusive relationships for 30 or 40 years and have no intention or ability to leave the relationship. Therefore, safety-planning materials focusing on leaving a relationship are not relevant or helpful to this population. Another example is the lack of real inclusion of issues for older women in existing protocols and best practice guidelines. One of our community partners (ONPEA) is in the process of developing best practice guidelines for working with older abused women and FSA is developing a best practice manual for working with abused older adults that focuses on clinical practice.

At FSA, consultations held with the domestic violence sector in 2001 and 2002 revealed that people working in this area do see older abused women in their practice. However, they do not have an adequate amount of knowledge and resources to respond to the special issues associated with the abuse of older women. Areas that need to be focused on include existing legislation, capacity issues, working with frail and/or cognitively impaired victims, special needs in court and policing and so on.

As of March 31, 2003, 35 percent of the cases (approximately 150 people) seen in the Seniors and Caregiver Support Services Unit at Family Service Association were cases involving abused older adults. A significant proportion of these cases included situations where "domestic violence grown old" in a relationship. It is apparent from their clinical work that the dynamics of power and control take on a new and different meaning in older age. For example, one woman told us that her partner could no longer see well enough to hit her. Instead, he throws hot water across the room at her and she can dodge this. Strategies used to assist her included a combination of interventions used in the domestic violence field and elder abuse area.

Additionally, Education Wife Assault, Family Service Association and our project partners have seen an increase in requests for information specific to abuse of older women in our training and workshops across the province for the past two years.

In their year end report of the Older Women Abuse Program at Circle of Care project staff cited several recommendations including:

•  expanding on public education and outreach activities to include more professional bodies as well as groups of senior women.

•  an event or forum in partnership with another agency on older woman abuse issues to increase the profile of the issue in the community and to bring potential community partners together.

•  the provision of training to generate consultations, further training and referrals to the counseling programs at Circle of Care and Family Service Association.

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Who are the women we are talking about?

This group includes women who may identify as being from one or more of the following groups: immigrant and refugee women, women with disabilities and Deaf women , lesbians and bisexual women, poor and under-housed women http://www.sistering.org/aboutsistering.html. Risk factors for abuse in intimate relationships are similar across all groups. However, vulnerability is increased with factors such as early victimization, number of caregivers, mental or physical disabilities, physical frailty, etc. ¨ Women with disabilities and Deaf women face many of the same risks of abuse that all women face, plus additional risks specifically related to their disability (Caregiver and Domestic Violence in the Lives of Women with Disabilities, Marlene F. Strong, et al, Berkley Planning Associates, 1997).

Furthermore, physical and attitudinal (ageist and sexist) barriers when accessing services tend to compound the older woman's experiences of trauma resulting from her abuse. When older women do not have full access to services (such as shelters or shelter alternatives such as safe homes and respite opportunities) or cannot participate in those services due to lack of supports (such as physical barriers, etc.) they may be further isolated and more likely to stay in or return to abusive situations. There is little to no opportunity for intervention with abusive partners and children in the violence against women (VAW) support models in our communities.

There are several hundred battered women's and sexual assault programs in this province--none of which are mandated or set up to address the needs of older women. Most services have been set up to respond to the needs of the general (non-disabled, non aging) population and don't have the capacity to meet the full range of needs that older women may have. In addition, older women in long term abusive relationships may not see leaving or seeking shelter as a viable option for them and new approaches need to be developed to deal with this.

Shelters and other women's services are primarily focused on supporting women who are victims of partner abuse. For many older women, treatment and intervention for assault by caregivers, neighbors, service providers and family members require different treatment and prevention strategies but nevertheless may be considered "intimate" violence.

Some of the barriers to effective response and prevention are identified below:

1. Lack of structure to ensure ongoing accountability re: accessibility of services to the consumers themselves.

2. Lack of accessible, affordable, appropriate training opportunities for developing leadership among older women within their own communities.

3. Lack of "interest" in the issues by services providers who do not see older women as a priority due to the lack of visibility of this population of women.

4. Service providers who are already operating under severe fiscal restraints often seeing access as "just another" issue that will stretch precious programming funds. In addition, there is a lack of awareness of potential funding sources for increasing access and providing services directly to older women.

5. Service providers' lack of knowledge of "where to start" improving access. They are often overwhelmed at the prospect of having to be "all things to all people". Especially where existing models and structures to do not “fit” with the population facing the barriers.

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Needs of Older Women who are abused

· a need for information about what constitutes abuse, including human rights legislation and case law re: rights to access to service;

• support for the development of the older women's and seniors' community's capacity to respond to abuse;
• information and service that is culturally appropriate; supportive community that aids her and holds her abuser accountable;
• increased links with the community, so as to reduce her isolation;
• increased access to language interpreters should she require them (including sign language interpreters);
• lessened (ageist and sexist) barriers to participation in the work force, accessing services, etc.;
• access to information and services that are financially accessible;
• access to affordable legal assistance;
• access to education and skills training and re-training that help her to participate in the work force.

In addition, older women's needs may also include information about accessible housing, economic support, health care, immediate protection from abuse, crisis intervention, counseling, etc.

These needs will continue to be identified through community consultation, community requests, needs assessments, and demographic analysis.  We work in partnership with older women and organizations to identify their own needs, issues and capacities for addressing these issues.

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