Episode Summary
Episode 14 of Caring Conversations tackles one of the most underreported issues affecting older adults in Canada: elder abuse — or, as the World Health Organization and the Government of Canada now call it, the mistreatment of older people. Host Melissa Therrien is joined by Dr. Rose Joudi, Director of Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at HelpAge Canada and one of Canada’s leading voices on aging in diverse communities.
Dr. Joudi shares findings from her national research on elder abuse through an ethnocultural lens — why so many families stay silent, how language barriers and family dependency create vulnerability, and why traditional reporting channels often fail newcomers and ethnoculturally diverse seniors. The conversation explores the difference between intentional and unintentional neglect, the limits of consent when language and cognitive capacity intersect, and why the well-intentioned instinct to remove a senior from a difficult home can sometimes cause more harm than good.
She also makes a powerful case that ageism and elder abuse are ‘two faces of the same coin’ — and that protecting older people is ultimately about preserving the dignity and respect every person deserves at every age.
Whether you’re a family member, a frontline caregiver, or someone who quietly suspects something is wrong in a neighbour’s home, this episode offers a compassionate, practical framework for recognizing the signs, asking better questions, and getting help — without shame, without judgment, and without losing sight of the older adult at the centre of the conversation.
Key Themes
- • The shift from ‘elder abuse’ to ‘mistreatment of older people’ — and why language matters
• The hidden forms of mistreatment: financial, emotional, psychological, cultural, spiritual
• Why reporting rates remain so low, especially in ethnoculturally diverse communities
• Cultural humility as an ongoing practice, not an arrival point
• The intersection of language, capacity, and consent
• The ‘hero complex’ and why removing seniors can backfire
• A strength-based, compassion-first approach to supporting families
• Ageism as the structural enabler of elder mistreatment
Featured Resources
- • HelpAge Canada — helpagecanada.ca
• Way In Network, Calgary — 403-SENIORS (linked to 211)
• World Elder Abuse Awareness Day — June 15
