U.S. disclosure and a shocking Ontario abuse case bring new attention to a disturbingly common problem
Recent high-profile cases of elder abuse have brought public attention to a problem that advocates say is disturbingly common—and under-reported.
Mickey Rooney, a 90-year-old actor, testified earlier this month before a committee of the U.S. Senate that he had been a victim of abuse at the hands of his own family. Rooney has accused his stepson of intimidating and bullying him, blocking access to his mail, and depriving him of medications and food.
Meanwhile, in Ontario, a 68-year-old woman was in critical condition in hospital a week after police found her unconscious, freezing and starving in a makeshift bedroom set up inside a non-insulated garage. The woman’s son and his wife were taken into custody on charges of prolonged elder abuse.
We speak with Lee Stones, a consultant with the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
