EDMONTON - Every year between June 6 and 12 Alberta recognizes Seniors Week, but the Elder Advocates of Alberta Society (EAAS) continues to call upon the province to address a lack of political will to address specific grievances in a meaningful way.
The EAAS receives referrals about seniors who are victims of abuse under the auspices of human rights legislation. EAAS executive director Ruth Adria says while Alberta’s MLAs will even refer cases to her, such referrals are empty exercises of compassion when these same MLAs supported by a bureaucratic system do not modify existing laws to better protect seniors who are under attack in various ways.
"In matters of assault or neglect, there is no demand for accountability, nor is the criminal code applied," said Adria. "The Elder Advocates receive no support from lawmakers and others in remedying flawed legislation that allows for and even facilitates the mistreatment of the elderly. Elder abuse legislation (as specific legislation) is not even on the books."
“Seniors rights diminish as they age," she added. “They are under threat because of exclusion resulting from age discrimination. This can lead to an outright loss of rights if the senior is inaccurately labelled incompetent by a system and a process that can be (manipulated) by those who know how to misuse and abuse the process, collude together to rob seniors of the same rights others enjoy in their younger years.”
See more at elderadvocates.ca
