Pam Burns
A Message from our Board Vice-Chair
Happy February to everyone around the province. I hope everyone is keeping warm and balancing family, work and personal aspects with success. My name is Pam Burns and I have been a part of the Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council (AEAAC) since 2015, and I am the current Vice-Chair. As a new year begins, I have taken some time to reflect on my involvement with the Council.
I work for St. Aidan's Society in Fort McMurray, Alberta and was hired to facilitate a coordinated community response to elder abuse in our local area here in northern Alberta. At that time, elder abuse was a new area of learning for me and being able to access the knowledge and support of other Council members was invaluable to me. While there have been many strides forward with the Council, something that has remained unchanged is the need for this ongoing consultation, knowledge and support for elder abuse related work. I have not only received this from the Council members, but others that are doing the work around province, the country and even in other parts of the world. I am also a Board Member of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA). This role allows me to be aware of what is happening across the Canada and share with the AEAAC Board, which provides a national perspective to the work of the Council.
Through this process of being immersed into elder abuse, the complexity of this social issue has become very evident. People and their situations are unique and the when we factor in multiple generations, it is not surprising how intricate situations of elder abuse can become. Additionally, what has become clear to me, is the uniqueness of each geographical area. So while the information and shared experiences are supportive to the work, it must be woven in with the fact that my community is one of a kind.
With a rapidly aging population, there is much work to be done regarding elder abuse and awareness for what it looks like, preventing it, and how to help those in need. This work is challenging, and it should be recognized that we are all contributing to the safety and well-being of seniors across Alberta. Awareness is the starting point and knowledge is the key. AEAAC strives to be a conduit for the flow of elder abuse knowledge across Alberta, that will increase the awareness of all Albertans.
We thank you for your interest and passion related to elder abuse awareness. We hope that you will encourage others to visit our website to sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter, and also to become a member of the AEAAC to receive full access to our website.
Warm Regards,
Pam Burns, BSW, RSW
AEAAC Vice-Chairperson
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