World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

First observed by the United Nations in 2012, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) recognizes that nearly every country across the globe will see a substantial growth in the number of older persons in the next decade. With the population of older persons increasing, it unfortunately also leads to an increase in the amount of elder abuse.

Nova Scotia’s population is getting older at an alarming rate. In the latest census conducted in 2021, Nova Scotia was found to have one of the oldest populations in Canada. In Nova Scotia the number of people aged 65 and over (215,325 or 22.2%) has eclipsed the population of those in the province aged 14 and under (136,710 or 14.1%).

Over the last two years the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of seniors in Nova Scotia and around the world that are vulnerable to financial elder abuse. The pandemic has caused many seniors to become isolated as quarantine measures have forced them to stay home, caused the closure of shops and financial centres, and made it difficult for seniors to accept visitors.

Are you or someone you care about a victim of financial abuse? Are you an older person that may be vulnerable to financial abuse? If any of the following applies to you or to an older person you care about, you or the older person may be vulnerable to financial abuse, or already may be a victim of financial abuse:

  • I find my bills confusing, making them difficult to pay.

  • I don’t feel confident making big financial decisions alone.

  • I don’t understand financial decisions that someone else is making for me.

  • I give loans or gifts to family or friends I can’t afford.

  • Members of my family, or others around me, are pressuring me to give them money.

  • Someone is accessing my accounts without my full knowledge.

  • Money appears to be missing from my accounts.

Learn more about financial elder abuse by reading our blog posts:

For more information on financial elder abuse, watch our 'What does financial elder abuse look like? video series,' our special three-part financial elder abuse video series, and visit our Investing Information for Seniors webpage.