Caring Conversations Ep. 14 | What Happens Behind Closed Doors: Recognizing and Responding to Elder Abuse at Home
📅 Full episode drops Wednesday, June 11 — just days before World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15)
Roughly one in six older adults experiences abuse. In newcomer and ethnoculturally diverse households, the real number is almost impossible to know — because the cases rarely make it past the front door.
In Episode 14 of Caring Conversations, host Melissa Therrien, RN, sits down with Dr. Rose Joudi — Director of Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at HelpAge Canada and one of Canada’s leading voices on aging — for an unflinching hour on what elder abuse actually looks like inside Canadian homes today.
“Love and harm can coexist.” — Dr. Rose Joudi
What the full episode covers:
- Why financial and emotional abuse have risen sharply since 2020
- Findings from Dr. Joudi’s national research on elder abuse in ethnoculturally diverse communities
- The dependency trap — why some seniors are more likely to risk their own safety than report
- Cultural humility vs. cultural competence, and why the difference matters
- Language barriers, capacity, and consent
- The “hero complex” — why removing a senior from a difficult home can backfire
- Intentional vs. unintentional neglect, and the compassion-first approach
- How ageism quietly enables elder mistreatment
- Practical first steps for anyone who suspects something is wrong
Whether you’re a family member, a frontline caregiver, or someone who quietly suspects something is wrong in a neighbour’s home — this is essential listening.
