Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents entitled “Creating Safe Communities for Older Adults: A Five Year Strategy for the Northwest Territories 2015-2020” and the “NWT On The Land Collaborative Fund Pilot Report.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we’re not planning a formal response to the document, but we do have a solid working relationship with the Seniors’ Society. We’ll continue working with the Seniors’ Society. Where appropriate and where it falls within our mandate, we’re absolutely willing to move forward on different initiatives identified within the framework that we’re tabling today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to be tabling the fiveyear strategy that was developed by the NWT Seniors’ Society and the NWT Network to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults later today. The department has been collaborating with the NWT Seniors’ Society and the network to support training for further frontline providers and screening assessment and support of older adults who undergo abuse. We have made a commitment and now make a commitment again here today that we will continue to work with the Seniors’ Society and participate with the network in prevention of abuse of older adults on the...

Mr. Speaker, the department has been collaborating with the NWT Seniors’ Society and the Network for the Prevention of Abuse of Older Adults. A key action in the strategy is related to training for frontline providers and screening, assessment and support of older adults who actually are undergoing abuse. Older adult abuse screening tools are designed to gather information about older adults and their circumstances in order to evaluate the possibility of abuse occurrence. Screening tools offer a framework for deciding what strategies may be the most appropriate, if problems are identified...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NWT Seniors’ Society began as an organization in 1983 when a group of seniors got together and began working with the government to provide services for seniors as well as older adults. Today, the NWT Seniors’ Society and its advisory council continue to work with all levels of government to keep us apprised of issues of importance to seniors. For the past 18 years, the advisory council has worked tirelessly to prevent the abuse of older adults by creating awareness and providing education and information sessions to ensure everyone understands the...

Mr. Speaker, those positions work for or are, rather, employed by the Department of the Executive, but the Department of the Executive has been engaged with the network, and the government services officers are their employees. The health and social services authority’s frontline staff works with the community level with our government services officers and understand and appreciate their role in assisting elders in accessing programs and services. , As part of implementing the screening tools, the Department of Health and Social Services will work with the Executive as well as the territorial...

The document I’m tabling today isn’t a Government of the Northwest Territories document. It is actually a document of the Seniors’ Society, but we have participated with them, and we will certainly continue to work with them to support any initiatives to limit or reduce the amount of abuse of seniors. The individual actions are the actions identified within that report, which is not a government document. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, during my Minister’s statement today, I did provide a couple of numbers that individuals could call. But if an individual sees or witnesses abuse, I think one of the important things that a person can do is start developing a relationship with that elder and learning about the elder, to help him identify the abuse that might be taking place. They can go to the elder’s home and invite them to engage with other local seniors who may be participants in the society that is visiting us here today. I would encourage communication using the 1-800 numbers, getting in touch with other...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the new Mental Health Act is new legislation. It changes the way in several ways that we will be provided mental health services here in the Northwest Territories. We’re also working on the mental health and addictions framework that’s been raised several times in this House.

All these have to work together. The legislation gives new capacities, new responsibilities, new ways of doing business, and this new assisted community treatment service that we can provide, but it is, yes, working closely with practitioners that already exist, and given the new...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. These dollars all flow to the authorities for the provision of French language services during the provision of health care. This is a direct result of a court case against the Government of the Northwest Territories which the GNWT lost, and it was negotiated how we would meet that ruling in that court case which resulted in significant dollars following into not just Health and Social Services, but all the departments; Education, Culture and Employment, to ensure that we can provide services to our residents in French.