Rates of seniors victimized by violence on the rise in Canada

Advocates are calling for more supports for senior victims of intimate partner violence in Nova Scotia.

From 2018 to 2023, intimate partner violence increased by 36 per cent for seniors aged 65 years and older, according to Statistics Canada.

“Violence doesn’t stop magically when we reach a certain age, it keeps going,” says Bénédicte Schoepflin, executive director of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse. “What does change is the amount of attention we’re willing to give to the issue, the amount of services and supports available that are specifically for older women.”

National numbers also show the rate of police-reported family violence against seniors increased substantially in recent years, reaching 94 victims per 100,000 population in 2023 — the highest rate since comparable data became available in 2009. The stats also mark a 42 per cent increase when comparing 2018 data to 2023.

“Older women are at dual risk when we’re talking about gender-based violence, because they’re at risk of partners – current or ex – but they’re also at risk of violence from other family members, particularly sons,” says Schoepflin.

Dalhousie University’s Lori Weeks says that’s only part of the picture, likening reporting of these crimes to an iceberg.

Statistics Canada data says in 2019, 80 per cent of people who experienced intimate partner violence did not report it to police.

“What’s above the water is what we know,” says Weeks, a professor in the School of Health Administration. “We know that that’s a much smaller part of an iceberg than what’s below.

“There’s just so much less emphasis on the needs of older adults versus younger people in our society.”

Weeks' studies include intimate partner violence in later life and abuse of older adults.

“There can be even greater barriers to older women reporting violence and seeking help than younger women, although it’s certainly challenging for anyone who’s experiencing intimate partner violence to break that silence and to seek that help,” she says.

Bill VanGorder with the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) says, similar to scams and fraud, it can be even more difficult for seniors to report violence against them when the perpetrator is closer to them.

“It’s very difficult to point a finger at somebody who you’ve depended on to look after you, to support you, to be with you in life,” says the past president of the Nova Scotia chapter of CARP.

Dementia can also be a factor in some violent tendencies, and cases of it are expected to rise.

But part of that issue can sometimes come down to a lack of awareness.

“Older women sometimes don’t even recognize relationships as violent,” says Weeks. “This is just kind of the way they were brought up to just accept whatever happens in relationships.”

And VanGorder says these tragic cases should serve as a “wake-up call to the government to increase the availability and the visibility of early intervention programs.”

“We need to be able to deal with these issues before they become acute and not afterwards,” he says.