British Columbia’s Senior Advocate is hoping to take steps to improve the system for reporting senior abuse this year.

Speaking on The Jeff Andres Show Isobel MacKenzie says there are a few issues with the system as it exists. “Once it’s reported, what happens and how are we able to assure ourselves that reported cases of elder abuse and neglect are appropriately case managed and appropriately followed up? And we don’t have an ability right now to have any confidence that that’s happening.”

She says there are a couple of aspects to the issue that really need to be clarified. “I think there is education for the public around what does it look like, what does elder abuse look like. And the next is if you see it, how do you report it and right now we can’t give you a clear answer to that.”

MacKenzie says it will be taking time to consult the public and plans to present some recommendations after that. “Certainly expecting it will be in 2020. We’re taking about four or five months to do a consultation in part because we’re going throughout the province and looking into the different areas around that consultation process and the review of the regulations and the review of the legislation, we’re trying to be as thorough as we can.”

MacKenzie says with about 2,000 reports per year, that’s not even close to what she expects to see even when talking about under-reporting.

https://soundcloud.com/user-965676831/jeff-andreas-show-isobel-mackenzie-dec-20