Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one day all of us in here will become an elder or senior. And even you said it today that you are senior today so, you know, like, congratulations, and a lot of us will be following between 5 to 25 years, we will be there. But, yeah, so with that in mind, Mr. Speaker, I just -- I want to ask the GNWT if they are tracking -- if there is a tracking rates of elder abuse in the NWT. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2020, Statistics Canada reported that the NWT had the highest rate of police reported family and nonfamily violence against seniors in Canada. Unfortunately, Stats Canada stopped breaking out statistics of family violence against seniors and so we're unable to provide more up-to-date statistics. The GNWT is currently not able to track rates of elder abuse. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. That's good to know, Mr. Speaker. So what programming is available for seniors that are being abused? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, older adults facing abuse can access the same support services that other adult victims of crime use. This includes victim services, court orders, emergency shelters, counselling, help lines, legal support. Older adults may not recognize these services are available to them which is why the 2024 Seniors' Society Handbook includes information about elder abuse, warning signs, where to seek help. This handbook was distributed in the summer of 2024 and is also available online. Additional work undertaken by the department includes a territorial-wide elder abuse awareness campaign that was launched in June 2024, resources with information on elder abuse available supports. The department is also in the process of drafting materials to support the development of training for service providers and the public about recognizing and responding to elder abuse.
In addition to this, the department provides funding to the NWT Senior's Society for a variety of initiatives and workshops that empower seniors and community members to identify and address elder abuse.
Also, the GNWT's Office of Public Guardian and Public Trustee under the Guardianship and Trustee Act can support older adults who do not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves if they are experiencing or are at risk of psychological or financial abuse or neglect. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Without a Minister or ministry responsible for seniors -- I know she answered some of these questions but I would like to still ask -- responsible for seniors, where is the best source of information for people who want to help seniors bwho are being exploited or abused? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT maintains a dedicated elder abuse web page on getting help for elders' abuse. I would be happy to send these links and pages to the Member or all MLAs. People can also phone the NWT Senior's Society information line for relevant information. People can also call 811. And if it's an emergency, 911. And, you know, I -- Mr. Speaker, I think it takes all of us to, you know, to be keeping aware of our elders in our community, you know, educating, you know, youth, advising our seniors in our community when we witness the abuse. We know that we find sometimes that our elders do not want to push, press charges, and things like that. But there are ways, you know, and I think reaching -- having them reach out to the seniors' society, the help line, to be able to find ways to support their individual needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake. Great Slave, that's it. Try one of those lakes. Great Slave.
