Blog

Details: Published: 10 June 2016

Introduce yourself to local media outlets and trade publications in your community. Let them know who you are and what you do. Build a relationship even when there is nothing to talk about so when a story does come up you already have an established rapport.
Be ready before the call from the press comes in. Prepare common Q&A questions and a project backgrounder with 3 key points about your project.
Don't be afraid to ask for interview questions ahead of time, select and change questions to help shape the content and get the best story out.
Focus on the human element of elder abuse and back it up with statistics. Be able and ready to offer perspectives on the many impacts of ‪elder abuse.
Media loves interviews from elder abuse survivors, but these are very difficult to find and may put an elder at risk for further abuse. Alternative strategies include preparing a short fictional case study, asking an elder if they could provide an anonymous quote, identify an older adult ‘champion’ advocate of elder abuse, or consider asking a partner organization to provide a quote based on their experiences.
Media Jack: If the media publishes an elder abuse story that sends a wrong message, contact them and ask them to comment on the case. Can be used to turn a negative elder abuse story into a call to action/ behaviour change.
Address and redirect: don’t like the question the media is asking you? Acknowledge the question: “I can’t answer that question but what I can tell you is…” and readdress to an issue that you can talk about.
Press releases work well when they are concrete and specific– provide statistics to back your story up and add a quote from an elder abuse survivor to make it more personable.
Have a big press release? Work with media under an embargo and get them the story ahead of time – it is easier for the media and more likely to be published.
Your organization should have designated media spokespeople. Also identify spokespeople from partner organizations – elder abuse is a complicated topic but you do not need to explain everything in a short media clip. Instead ask the media to also contact your partner organizations (e.g. police, OT’s, academia) to add a diversity of perspectives.

(Read Part 1: Elder Abuse Knowledge Mobilization: From “Hubs” to Headlines )

About the author:

Raissa Dickinson is the Manager of Community Engagement at the Canadian Centre for Elder Law. Her work at the Centre supports multiple initiatives pertaining to social policy, community development, legal research and reform. Raissa obtained a Masters in Public Health from the University of British Columbia in 2013 and Project Management Professional Certification in 2015. Experiences in the public health and project management range from community based research, knowledge translation, planning and policy development. Raissa has strong roots in community development and has provided support to people within the intersections of mental health, substance abuse, homelessness and violence against women.

Details: Published: 10 June 2016

On May 26th 2016, the CNPEA hosted an interactive workshop at the National Institute for the Care of the Elderly (NICE) Annual Knowledge Exchange. The idea for the workshop was based on the notion that the elder abuse community has long struggled with communications and how to get its message out. Elder abuse and neglect issues are still mostly in the shadows and the Elder Abuse prevention community has been far behind other social justice movements. Until recently, in Canada there wasn’t a single “go-to” online resource hub. As a community, we do not yet have some of the media savvy required to move from grass-roots issues, or research findings into the social, print and TV media world.

Details: Published: 01 June 2016

TORONTO –

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is seeking members for its newly established Seniors Expert Advisory Committee (SEAC), which will advise staff on issues impacting older investors and help the OSC develop tailored solutions.

“The Seniors Expert Advisory Committee will give the OSC access to a multidisciplinary team of experts on issues related to older investors, providing us with valuable input on our seniors strategy, an important initiative for the OSC,” said Maureen Jensen, Chair and CEO of the OSC. “The committee builds on our ongoing efforts to better understand the unique needs of older investors.”

The SEAC will advise staff on securities-related policy and operational developments that impact older investors and will provide input on the OSC’s related education and outreach activities. The committee will consist of up to 15 members, including representation from the legal community, academia, industry, medical professionals and seniors’ advocates.

The SEAC will be constituted for a one year-period and will meet approximately four to six times. The committee will be chaired by Tyler Fleming, Director of the Investor Office, which leads the development of the OSC seniors strategy and its related initiatives.

Interested parties are invited to apply in writing for membership, indicating areas of practice and relevant experience, by July 29, 2016.
Applications and questions regarding the SEAC may be submitted via email to:

Denise Morris,
Manager Ontario Securities Commission

The mandate of the OSC is to provide protection to investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices and to foster fair and efficient capital markets and confidence in the capital markets. Investors are urged to check the registration of any persons or company offering an investment opportunity and to review the OSC investor materials available at http://www.osc.gov.on.ca

For Media Inquiries:

For Investor Inquiries:
OSC Contact Centre
416-593-8314
1-877-785-1555 (Toll Free)
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Details: Published: 01 June 2016

Katelyn is our first Grade 8 guest blogger. She sent us a post about her take on Elder Abuse, ageism, what kids and elders have in common and how youth can get involved in building awareness.

When you think of elder abuse, the word abuse might set off the thought of physical harm. But really, when it comes to elder abuse, it’s also financial abuse and trust abuse. As a teenager I see elder abuse as a form of bullying. In middle school, bullying can be spreading rumours and breaking the trust of your friends for the fun of being mean or to become more popular. In a very rare cases, bullying can be physical - for example, pushing people into lockers with force. These things also happen to elders in a different context. The only thing I can’t compare to my experiences in middle school, is financial elder abuse.