Be Wise & Aware: Preventing Financial Abuse of Seniors

As the largest cohort of our population ages, older people today are more visible, more active, and more independent than ever before. Evidence from Statistics Canada suggests that each year, hundreds of thousands of older Canadians are abused financially and exploited by their family members and/or caregivers.

Financial abuse of the elderly is consistently unreported for various reasons, with the victims’ dependency upon the abuser being the main reason. Data suggest that one of the most common forms of abuse against older Canadians is financial abuse, of which most perpetrators are family members or caregivers.

The increasing growth of the racialized senior population in Canada and the challenge of aging (financial exploitation) suggests more awareness and capacity building in the areas. Pertinent to this issue, the "Be Wise and Aware" project follows our just-ended "Feeling Safe and Stong" project to raise awareness and build the capacity of racialized seniors in British Columbia.