- Details
- Published: 09 September 2026
The Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, in partnership with Dementia Justice Canada, is carrying out a one-year professional legal education project to develop a two-hour, self-directed online learning module and a decision-making guide for lawyers across Canada focused on identifying and responding to coercive control in the context of elder abuse.
This is an important moment of growing recognition and opportunity. As coercive control gains greater attention in Canadian law and policy, it has been primarily viewed through an intimate-partner lens, with less consideration of how it manifests in elder abuse. This project will help bridge that gap by equipping lawyers with foundational knowledge to recognize and respond to coercive control in the context of elder abuse.
The project will be supported by an advisory committee bringing together expertise in fields such as elder law, social work, gerontology, geriatric psychiatry, and elder abuse prevention. The committee will help inform the development of the learning module and decision-making guide, drawing on its multidisciplinary perspectives.
This project is made possible with funding from the Canadian Bar Association’s Law for the Future Fund.
