
Toronto, Ontario – Every year on June 15, the United Nations marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a day in which communities worldwide recognize elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue. Earlier this year, MCIS developed and launched an online training, funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General, offering tips and tools to service providers of this target population.
The training, Supporting Senior Victims of Crime, explores the complexities of working with seniors by identifying their diverse needs and indicators of violence and abuse, and offers intervention strategies and information on services across various sectors.
“We hope this training will minimize the isolation of seniors who are affected by crime and abuse, and help us build stronger and more cohesive communities, where we look out for our most vulnerable members,” said Latha Sukumar, MCIS’ Executive Director.
The online asynchronous training comprises four modules tailored to various service provides that focus on:
- An introduction to the issue of crimes against seniors
- The perpetrators of abuse, and types of crimes that can occur
- Senior service needs and safety planning
- A continuum of care for senior victims of crime
To complement the training, and to continue engaging participants, MCIS will also host a series of webinars which will provide an in-depth look at various aspects of the training, and offer opportunities for participants to engage live with experts.
The first webinar, Connecting the Impacts of Colonization to Senior Abuse, will be held on Friday, June 25 at 12 p.m. It will address the false narrative that has been perpetuated through the process of colonial structures, which continue to impact how Indigenous people are treated in many different stages of their lives and in many different environments. The speaker will tie the ongoing impact of colonization to increased levels of abuse towards Indigenous seniors.
The guest speaker for the webinar, Melissa (Mel) Compton, is a multilateral Mi’kmaq/Scottish artist who uses her lived experience, artwork and therapeutic skills to develop and facilitate specialized youth programs. Mel’s knowledge comes from lived experience and a vast amount of program/workshop development and facilitation that allows for skill development, positive identity and engagement. Her work as a peer support worker, frontline case manager, anti-human trafficking worker and now, a program and curriculum specialist, has enhanced her ability to develop and provide programming for children and youth through the lens of Etuaptmumk (two-eyed seeing); a concept/teaching of elder Albert Marshall.
For more information, visit: www.supportingseniorvictims.org or https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/connecting-the-impacts-of-colonization-to-senior-abuse-tickets-159184137039?aff=ebdssbeac.
About MCIS Language Solutions
MCIS Language Solutions is a not-for-profit social enterprise that has been relentlessly pursuing its goal to remove language barriers for over 31 years. Key services include language interpretation, translation and transcription, localization, training and training development for the public and private sector agencies, in more than 300 languages. For more information, please www.mcislanguages.com.
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Contact Information:
Deanna Nemeth, Communications and New Business Development Manager
Office: 416-467-3097 ext. 772
Cell: 437-236-8158
Dusan Matic
Training and Vendor Relations Manager
Office: 416-467-3097 ext. 555