June 15th is the annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, organized by the United Nations’ World Health Organization. As with other forms of violence, elder abuse is not always visible at first glance, and has many permutations. Carol’s Story will highlight its complexity.
Carol is an older woman who arrived at Nellie’s a couple of months ago. She was transferred to us from another shelter outside of the city because they “did not have the capacity to support her”. Carol had a stroke 26 years ago and has had mobility challenges ever since. She is able to move around on her own, but stairs, streetcars and laundry are somewhat problematic. She is a very independent woman with a very independent spirit but has faced a series of interlocking systems of oppression and multiple experiences of violence, which have created barriers to the life in which she wants to and deserves to live.
The first few days at Nellie’s were a medical challenge for her and she ended up in emergency. Diagnosed with epilepsy many years ago, this was something that Carol learned to deal with on her own. One of the major barriers that Carol faced is access to centralized health care. Although she has an OHIP card, unlike many other older women at Nellie’s, healthcare was a challenge. Carol had acquired a series of different medications from various clinics that she had visited after different pains, falls and seizures. Upon closer investigation, some of the medications prescribed were actually duplicates, ordered by different doctors.
During a counselling session, Carol disclosed that the doctors in her old town had told her that she “might not see Christmas”. This was a shock to us all. We contacted her previous doctor, organized her health records and had them sent to a new doctor in Toronto. This was a greater challenge than it should have been, but we were able to accomplish it as a team. Also, after experiencing bladder cancer a number of years ago, Carol was due to have bladder surgery. However, she was unable to follow through with it until she got housing, as she wanted to recover from the surgery in her own home and not the shelter.
Housing was another challenge. With the support of her housing counsellor at Nellie’s Community Support and Outreach Office, Carol was finally able to move into her own apartment. However, after living at her new place for less than a week, the staff there asked her to leave because they “did not have the capacity to support her”. As an older woman with severe health care needs and a mobility disability, there are very few places where she can live and call home. Carol is a strong woman and able to stand up for herself. As of now, the housing and outreach counsellors at Nellie’s continue to advocate for her, as she stands up to a series of ongoing challenges. Strong, she continues to march on.
To learn more, visit the UN World Elder Abuse Awareness Day page.
To learn about what you can do to work towards ending elder abuse, contact:
Advocacy Centre for the Elderly
The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
