Pat’s Place: Providing a safe haven for older people experiencing abuse Family Service Toronto’s Seniors and Caregivers Support Services team Presentation at the National Elder Abuse Conference November 3, 2009

Goals of presentation 1.Describe Pat’s Place 2.Overview of implementation 3.Profile of clients 4.Services provided 5.Case scenarios 6.Outcomes 7.Successes 8.Challenges

What is Pat’s Place? Safe haven for older people currently experiencing abuse Confidential location Stay up to 60 days rent free Named after former manager and key advocate in the field Opened September, 2008

History Worked in this field for many years Seniors not best suited to violence against women shelters due to range of issues (i.e. age, medical conditions, presence of children, type of abuse encountering) Rotary Club of Toronto approached FST Based on model in Edmonton Whole team approach to developing concept and supporting clients

Key policy and procedure issues Who we can serve How service is provided When service can be provided Assessment process Conditions of stay (i.e. secrecy, waiver of liability) Advisory Committee

Who can Pat’s Place accommodate? Older people (60+) Not fully accessible (limited to people with a cane) Live independently without supports after hours and week-ends Some support for meals and transportation Agree to keep location confidential Open to men and women; consider couples but space limited

Profile of clients served in Year One Six people served Age range – 65 to 82 All women All types of abuse Three are survivors of partner abuse; three are survivors of elder abuse 2 were FST clients; 4 have been referred from the community All perpetrators are male – partners and sons

Services offered Crisis intervention Counselling Safety planning Linkage to community services System navigation Housing applications Connecting to legal services

Assessment Process - General Components include: General Demographics Medical History Well Being/Depression Rating Scale Social Supports Medication History

Assessment Process – Abuse Specific Abuse History –Types of abuse –Interaction with judicial system –Safety assessment –High risk indicators –Information about perpetrator

High Risk Indicators No specific literature in this area for older people Adopted from violence against women field

Examples of high risk indicators Made attempts to leave before Perpetrator has threatened to kill him/herself Perpetrator has threatened to kill victim Perpetrator has made threats that are specific to time, place, weapon/ongoing/made in public

High Risk Indicators cont’d Does victim believe person will act on threats? Changes in perpetrator behaviour recently Does perpetrator use drugs or alcohol Does perpetrator show any signs of mental health problems?

Safety Assessment High risk indicators Safety planning for before, during and after move Scale – How concerned are you for your safety? 1 – No concern 2 – A little bit concerned 3 – Somewhat 4 – Very concerned 5 - Extremely

Assessment Process – Goal Setting Why want to move What hope to achieve What areas of assistance required (i.e. making plans to be safe, future planning, connecting to support, housing) Agreement to: –keep location secret –stay no more than 60 days –to show respect for diversity – to care for self independently on evenings and week ends

Case Scenario General overview of situation prior to move Issues encountered during move Issues encountered while living at Pat’s Place Move out

Key outcomes to date Safety planning – before, during, after Education around abuse Strong sense of security expressed Increase in well being over time Length of stay ranges from 2.5 weeks to 10 weeks

Client outcomes upon discharge Perpetrator signs over lease to client and moves out Housing found for two people Client moves in with friends awaiting housing Client goes to hospital for surgery and plan in place for follow-up Client returns to relationship with safety plan

Key successes Able to adapt from Edmonton Captured imagination of media and public Occupancy rate close to 100% in year one Strong support from service providers

Key successes cont’d Space works for target group Strong student training component Learned who we can’t serve TEAMWORK

Challenges Resources needed to support an older person fleeing abuse Suitability of space Need for outreach/dedicated resources Ahead of its time?

Contact Information Lisa Manuel Director, Changing Lives and Family Violence Programs Family Service Toronto