How Should Alberta Define Elder Abuse?

Official title: Elder abuse prevention engagement

Closed Policy & Studies Health & Safety Justice & Rights
Alberta asked the public to help create a clearer definition of elder abuse. The old definition was too vague and applied inconsistently across the province. This engagement shaped a new 5-year strategy to prevent and address elder abuse, released in July 2022.

Why This Matters

Do you have aging parents or grandparents? This affects how Alberta protects them. A clearer definition means service providers can better spot abuse and help seniors get the support they need. It also helps families understand what counts as abuse.

What Could Change

The new definition now guides all provincial policies and programs on elder abuse. Service providers use it to develop targeted training. Data collection practices have been updated for better tracking. A 5-year prevention strategy is now in place.

Key Issues

  • How should 'elder abuse' be defined for consistent application across Alberta?
  • Should a 'relationship of trust' be essential to the definition?
  • How should elder abuse definitions align with family violence definitions?
  • Should self-harm be considered separately from elder abuse?

What Happened

The engagement was completed in two phases. Phase 1A involved stakeholder discussions in June 2021, where community organizations identified that 'relationship of trust' was essential to the definition, self-harm should be separate, and definitions could align with family violence while respecting elder abuse's unique aspects. Phase 1B collected public feedback through an online survey until October 25, 2021. The updated definition now guides information sharing and data collection. A 5-year strategy called 'A Collective Approach' was released in July 2022.

View Final Decision

Key Documents