PAM – Cultural communities: Reference and support guide for practitioners

Themes: Co researcher

PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER:

Louise Buzit-Beaulieu, Coordinator of the Governmental Action Plan to Counter Elder Abuse within Cultural Communities

RESEARCH TEAM:

This project includes a large team that is called the Strategic Implementation Committee. In order to support this committee, three working committees were formed: 1) Working Committee on Awareness; 2) Working Committee on Training and 3) Committee Supporting Community Organizations. Only one of these two working committees is described, in which the Chair is involved

Members of the sub-committee group on developing the training approach:

Louise Buzit-Beaulieu, Provincial Coordinator to Counter Elder Abuse within Cultural Communities
Pascual Delgado, Development Officer, the Alliance of the Cultural Communities for Equality in Health and Social Services (ACCESSS), President of the Strategic Implementation Committee to Counter Elder Abuse within Cultural Communities
Nicole Huneault, Director PPALV, CSSS de la Montagne
Sarita Israël, Cutting-Edge Service Coordinator, Elder Abuse Consultation Centre, CSSS Cavendish- university-affiliated centre
Shirley Sarna, Coordinator for the education-cooperation component, the Quebec Commission of Human Rights and Youth Rights (CDPDJ)
Maryse Soulières, Research Officer, the Elder Abuse Help Line
Arzemina Spahic-Blazevic, Social Worker at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS and Research Professional at the Research Chair on Mistreatment of Older Adults from the University of Sherbrooke
Adina Ungureanu, Development and Liaison Officer, the Alliance of the Cultural Communities for Equality in Health and Social Services (ACCESSS)
Spyridoula Xenocstas, Director, Research and Training Centre, CSSS de la Montagne-university-affiliated centre.

Other collaborators:

Marie Beaulieu, Chairholder, Research Chair on Mistreatment of Older Adults from the University of Sherbrooke
Johannie Bergeron-Patenaude, Social Worker at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS and Research Professional for the Research Chair on Mistreatment of Older Adults from the University of Sherbrooke
Carole Deschamps, Partnership Consultant, South of Montreal, Quebec Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities
Dominique Gaucher, Quebec Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities.

Administrative support:

Gaëlle Beauchot, Administrative Officer, the Montreal Health and Social Services Agency (ASSSM)

CHAIR PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT:

Adriana Maria Herrera,master’s student in Social Work from the University of Sherbrooke.
Johannie Bergeron Patenaude, Social Worker at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, active member in practice within the Chair.
Arzemina Spahic Blazevic, Social Worker at the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, active member in practice within the Chair.

GRANTING AGENCY AND GRANT AMOUNT:

From the Chair’s funds

PROJECT COMPLETION DATES:

From January 2013 to May 2019

ROLE OF CHAIR IN THE PROJECT:

Marie Beaulieu is a member of the Strategic Implementation Committee.
Adriana Maria Herrera represents the Chair on the Working Committee on Awareness
Arzemina Spahic-Blazevic represented the Chair on these two committees (i.e., the Working Committee on Awareness and the Working Committee on Training)
Special contribution from the Chair’s to the development of the Reference and Support Guide by producing three fact sheets (good-treatment, resources, and partners).

RESEARCH PROBLEM:

In the framework of the Governmental Action Plan to Counter Elder Abuse 2010-2015, the Working Committee on elaborating the Action Plan to Counter Elder Abuse within Cultural Communities provided atraining approach related to the issue of mistreatment of older adults within cultural communities. Even though research showed that this specific clientele is affected by mistreatment the same way asQuebec-born seniors, some factors increase their level of vulnerability to various forms of mistreatment. Furthermore, it seems essential to better equip practitioners so that they will be able to respond more effectively to this clientele.

GOAL OF THE PROJECT OR RESEARCH QUESTION:

Produce an awareness, training and intervention kit for situations dealing with mistreatment of older adults from Quebec’s cultural communities, which will be accessible through the MSSS intranet.

OBJECTIVES:

This reference and support guide provides relevant information on the concepts and approaches of mistreatment as well as on intercultural dimensions, important concepts relating to the legal aspects of mistreatment, a list of training sessions offered by various partners, the list of provincial resources working in the field of mistreatment in ethnocultural context and finally, case studies in order to apply these concepts through actual situations.

METHODOLOGY:

Analysis of various census data
Document research on issues of interest
Drafting of fact sheets for the Reference and Support Guide, which is a summary of information collected
Several consultations

PROJECT ADVANCEMENT:

Marie Beaulieu, the Chairholder, participated in the steering committee, while Arzemina Spahic-Blazevic was active in twosub-committees groups(training, awareness) in 2012-2013. Adriana Maria Herrera, student at the Chair, is involved in the Working Committee on Awareness throughout the fall of 2015 for her internship within the Sherbrooke’s Spanish-speaking community in the framework of her master’s in Social Work.

The Chair contributed to the development of a few factual questions on mistreatment and good-treatment toward older adults for the Reference and Support Guide of the working committee on cultural sensitivity training. The Chair also participated in the Good-treatment, Resources and Partners components of the Reference and Support Guide. In June 2015, the Chair carried out an in-depth revision of the entire document when it was fully created. Following comments received from the persons involved in the revision of the document, Louise Buzit-Beaulieu decided to change the name (formerly known as: Electronic Toolbox to Counter Elder Abuse within Cultural Communities) for the current name PAM – Cultural Communities: Reference and Support Guide for Practitioners, so to bring it more in line with its content. Finally, the Chair will also support the revision of references and footnotes in the fall of 2015 before being published.

COMMUNICATIONS:

N.a.

PUBLICATIONS:

N.a.