If You Are Concerned About Yourself or Someone Else

If something is happening that concerns you, you do not need to have everything figured out before seeking information or assistance.

You may not know whether what you are seeing is abuse.

You may have incomplete or conflicting information.

Or you may simply know that something has changed and you are worried.

Begin with what you know, and seek appropriate help when you need it.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency service.

EmotionalAbuse.ca does not provide emergency or crisis intervention.

211 Canada

Dial 2-1-1

211 connects people with community and social services across much of Canada. It can help you identify services available in your own area.

Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse

The Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA) provides information about elder abuse and links to services and resources across Canada.

Its Find Help resources can help you locate assistance in your province or territory.

Seniors Safety Line

1-866-299-1011

The Seniors Safety Line provides information, referrals and support for older adults experiencing or at risk of abuse, as well as people concerned about an older adult.

If there is no immediate emergency, it may help to slow the situation down and begin separating what you know from what you think may have happened.

Ask:

What happened?
What has changed?
What have I observed myself?
What have I been told by someone else?
Is there other information that could help establish what happened?
What don’t I know yet?

You do not need to force the information into a conclusion before you have enough to understand it.

Concern is a reason to pay attention. It is not a reason to stop asking questions.

EmotionalAbuse.ca provides educational information about Emotional Abuse and Emotional Elder Abuse.

The information on this website is not a substitute for professional legal, medical, mental-health, emergency, or other advice appropriate to an individual’s circumstances.

EmotionalAbuse.ca does not investigate individual cases or determine whether abuse has occurred.

If you are concerned about a particular situation, use the resources above or contact an appropriate service in your community.