- Details
- Published: 20 March 2015
Credit union system, not-for profit sector and government come together to raise awareness about preventing financial abuse of older adults
Financial abuse of older adults is the most common type of elder abuse in Canada. For the credit union system, Prevent Elder Abuse Manitoba (PEAM), federal and provincial governments, taking a step towards preventing financial abuse of older adults has meant collaborating to make sure credit union employees have the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to financial abuse.
Last November, to mark the end of Financial Literacy Month, Credit Union Central of Manitoba and Credit Union Central of Canada, in collaboration with PEAM, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), the Government of Manitoba, and the Government of Canada’s New Horizons’ for Seniors Program, launched a new online course across Canada: Financial Abuse of Older Adults: Recognize, Review, Respond.
The course aims to help credit union staff identify and react appropriately in the event that financial abuse is suspected by providing them with the relevant tools, solutions and resources. This 45 minute eLearning course, which features true-to-life scenarios, was developed by TAMLO International Inc. It is accessible to all credit union staff members through CUSOURCE Credit Union Knowledge Network, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Credit Union Central of Canada, at a nominal charge of less than $10 per person. It covers topics such as abuse of assets, credit and Power of Attorney and provides participants with downloadable resources at the federal, provincial and local level.
Since its launch at the end of November 2014, nearly 1000 credit union employees across the country have signed up to take the course. Recognizing the importance of this topic, some credit unions are working to make the course mandatory training for all staff. Upon completion, credit union staff have reported increased abilities to detect, address and prevent financial abuse.
Over the coming year, the course will be expanded to include credit union volunteer-led community presentations across Canada. At the same time that staff are educated about the financial risks older clients face and how to respond to possible cases of financial abuse, community members will have access to information about protecting themselves from financial abuse.
For a sneak peek at the course, watch this video:
For more information about the course Financial Abuse of Older Adults: Recognize, Review and Respond or to register: http://files.cusource.ca/coursedescriptions/elearning/EMP-LVF-FAOAE01-ELR_DES.pdf
For more information about:
PEAM: www.peam.ca
CUSOURCE Credit Union Knowledge Network: www.cusource.ca
TAMLO International Inc.: www.tamlo.com
Credit Union Central of Manitoba: www.creditunion.mb.ca
Credit Union Central of Canada: www.cucentral.com
