Senior Sharing Circles Project:
SAVIS Completes "Senior Sharing Circles" Project in Halton December 8th, 2010
Since January 2010, the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton (SAVIS), in partnership with The Women’s Centre and Nina's Place the Regional Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Care Center of Halton – Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, has been running the "Senior Sharing Circles" project.
The Senior Sharing Circles project was funded in part by the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors program and focused on placing senior women in a leadership role. SAVIS recruited and trained 6 senior female volunteers to lead discussion circles with other seniors in the Halton community. The goal of this project was to raise awareness about issues affecting seniors such as elder abuse, including sexual and interfamilial violence, social isolation and intergenerational conflict. The project also aimed to encourage peer support between seniors, share community resources, and to provide a safe space for seniors to share their experiences with each other.
SAVIS is pleased to report that 12 discussion circles were completed, involving 143 senior participants. In addition to the sharing circles , SAVIS also delivered two presentations on elder abuse, which brings the total number of participants to over 200! We received very positive feedback about the project and the senior volunteers leaders from the agencies and participants.
In conjunction with this project, SAVIS produced a Public Service Announcement to raise awareness of elder abuse. The PSA was shown repeatedly on Cogeco TV, and SAVIS received feedback from community members that indicated the message about elder abuse was reaching a wide audience. The SAVIS PSA was also posted on the SAVIS website (see below) on YouTube and the link was sent to SAVIS membership and community partners via email.
This project increased awareness in the community of elder abuse and the barriers faced by seniors. Some seniors involved in the discussion circles noted that this was the first time they had heard the issue of abuse being discussed. Many seniors appreciated the opportunity to discuss elder abuse with their peers, and to receive information on where to access help in Halton.
SAVIS would like to thank all of the volunteers, project participants and participating community organizations for helping to make the project a success!
Public Service Announcement:
- Funding for this project included the production of a 30 second public service announcement. The PSA aims to raise awareness of elder abuse, and support services in Halton that can be accessed by seniors.
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