Elder abuse videos launched in Thunder Bay

Eabametoong’s Ma-Nee Chacaby called for an end to Elder abuse in a recently released Thunder Bay Police Elder Abuse video.
“If you see something going on, say something,” said Chacaby, who narrated the video. “Don’t hold back.”
Chacaby and Thunder Bay Police Service Det. Const. Diane MacLaurin launched the video on April 24 to create more awareness of the issue among First Nations people.
“If the police are doing all the talking, people don’t often listen,” Chacaby said. “But if it’s another Anishinabe or another Native person talking, then they might listen out of curiosity.”
Produced by Thunderstone Pictures, the video includes 10-minute Oji-Cree and five-minute English segments. Elder abuse pamphlets were also produced in Cree, Oji-Cree and Ojibwa syllabics and English.
“I hope this reaches the Elders, the old people,” Chacaby said. “I’d like people to treat old people like they’re made out of gold. That’s why we are here, because of our old people. They gave us the knowledge we have today, and they gave us how to be who we are today.”
MacLaurin said one in four Elders are abused at some point in their lifetime.
“The abuse can range from financial, physical, psychological, emotional and sexual,” MacLaurin said. “A lot of the abuse that we wind up seeing is financial, but not perceived by itself. You have some embedded emotional or sometimes psychological abuse that goes along with it.”
MacLaurin said the pamphlets also include information on scams, frauds and different types of financial issues that affect Elders.
“We’re trying to prevent things from happening and to educate people on things they didn’t know about abuse,” MacLaurin said.
As the Aboriginal population increased in Thunder Bay, MacLaurin said the Thunder Bay Police Service realized it would be a good idea to produce information for them in their own language. A Lakehead Social Planning Council report indicated that Thunder Bay’s Aboriginal population increased by 23 per cent from 2001 to 2006.
“Now that there are more people either moving into the city or people coming to visit in the city of First Nations or Aboriginal descent, we’re finding that they don’t have a lot of information sometimes about Elder abuse and what constitutes Elder abuse,” MacLaurin said.
“So the idea was, from a grant from the Ministry of the Attorney General, to produce information in a format that people would understand and that they are familiar with.”
Although the videos and pamphlets are available at community service agencies throughout the Thunder Bay area, MacLaurin said the video can be used anywhere across Ontario.
“It’s hoped that people use the video in their own communities or their own agencies to educate as well,” MacLaurin said.