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10 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday August 2, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Big mentors needed Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton is encouraging men to step up to the plate and volunteer to be a mentor to a boy on the waiting list. While this United Way agency's campaign to find 100 Good Men in 2008 has attracted some new volunteers, there continues to be a severe shortage of male mentors in the Oakville area. If you're interested in finding out how a little bit of time can mean a lot to a child, call the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton Oakville office at 905-339-2355, e-mail info@bbbshalton.ca or visit www.bbbshalton.ca. CHRIS KORNACKI / OAKVILLE BEAVER PROGRAM LAUNCH: Carol Macdonald, coordinator of the new Seniors Supporting Seniors Peer Mentoring Project, speaks during the launch of the program by Sexual assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton (SAVIS). Macdonald is the coordinator of the program. If you have a question or concern relating to the provincial government, please do not hesitate to contact me at my constituency office ­ we're here to help. New program aims to help seniors break free from abuse By Hiba Kesebi SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Community Office 2330 Lakeshore Road West Oakville, ON L6L 1H3 Email: kflynn.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Tel: (905) 827-5141 Fax: (905) 827-3786 All Natural Skin Banyan Botanicals · Dr. Hauschka · Jane Iredale · John Masters Hair Care · Jurlique · Just Pure · Lavera · Martina Gebhardt · Naturopathica · Nvey Eco · Pure+simple · Surya Henna · UV Natural Health Toronto's Celebrated Natural + Organic Skincare Spa is Coming to Oakville! AUGUST 2008 Positions Available: Estheticians + Front Desk Opportunities for growth available! Please call 416-322-9093 for more information or send resumes to: spa@pureandsimple.ca Shop or Visit us online: www.pureandsimple.ca Yonge - Eglinton Spa 2375 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario M4P 2C8 t: 416.481.2081 Yorkville Spa 27 Bellair Street Toronto, Ontario M5R 2C8 t: 416.924.6555 King - Bathurst Spa 725 King Street W Toronto, Ontario M5V 2W9 t: 416.366.8558 Coming Soon! Oakville Spa 348 Lakeshore Rd. E Oakville, Ontario L6J 1J6 Carol Macdonald was psychologically abused by her husband. She was put down, humiliated and underestimated. She contemplated suicide many times, but never knew that her husband's mind games were, indeed, a form of abuse, until a woman from a woman's shelter took her by the arms and broke the news to her. "She told me that I'm facing the reality of what abuse is. I should leave, and support is available," she said. "I didn't know that I was being abused. It's easier to live in denial." Macdonald admits that it took her a long time to make her exit, yet she is thankful for finally making it. "The person I am now is not the person I was 15 years ago," she said. "I was pathetic, sad, overwhelmed, confused." Today, Macdonald's smile never leaves her face. She's got humour and energy, ambitions and goals, independence and peace of mind. This change was radiant Thursday, during the launch of the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention and Services of Halton's (SAVIS) new Seniors Supporting Seniors Peer Mentoring Project, which hopes to reach out to 200 senior women in the Halton region "An abusive person will try to make you feel confused -- they'll deny, they'll lie, because they want to have power in a relationship. it's all about power. it's all about inequality." Carol Macdonald, coordinator Seniors Supporting Seniors Peer Mentoring Project with knowledge of how to recognize abuse and where to get support in the community. Macdonald is the coordinator of the Seniors Supporting Seniors Peer Mentoring Project. The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse states that those who assist abused older adults believe that the rate of abuse is close to 10 per cent. Therefore, with approximately 55,000 seniors living in Halton as of 2006, it is possible that as many as 5,500 seniors are, or are at risk of, being abused. "Emotional abuse is an extremely insidious form of abuse that is harder to recognize and deal with because it is not recognized in the court system, it isn't a criminal offence but it makes a woman feel like she is nothing," explained Macdonald. According to Macdonald, most assaults on seniors are committed by the people they know and love best. In Macdonald's case, the abuse was coming from her husband. For others it can come from children, and even grandchildren. The World Health Organization defines abuse of older adults as the "single or repeated acts, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within a relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person." "An abusive person will try to make you feel confused -- they'll deny, they'll lie, because they want to have power in a relationship. It's all about power. It's all about inequality," said Macdonald, adding that the longer one stays in such a relationship, the greater the feeling of entrapment. Four senior women are now ready to conduct presentations to other seniors and provide them with the information and support they need in order to break free from, what Macdonald calls "invisible abuse." Lorraine Bird's goal is to get the facts of abuse out in the public, through her volunteer work with the Seniors Supporting Seniors Peer Mentoring Project. See Volunteers page 11