The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and its partners have recently concluded a month-long door-to-door campaign called Operation Visit a Senior. The primary goal of this initiative is to identify and prevent elder abuse while providing assistance and support to isolated seniors who may not have contact with health, social, or community services. The operation, which ended on June 15, coincided with the World Day Against Elder Abuse.
"Visit a Senior" was first launched in 2020 by the SPVM and the Direction régionale de la santé publique de Montréal, in collaboration with the Bureau de la transition écologique et de la résilience de la Ville de Montréal (BTER), various community organizations, and the CIUSSS de l'île de Montréal. The operation involves a combination of detection, prevention, and intervention activities conducted by teams comprising police officers and personnel from community and institutional organizations.
PHOTO: SPVM
During this year's operation, all of Montreal's neighborhood police stations participated, aided by 30 interventionists from five different CIUSSSs (Integrated Health and Social Services Centers) and 170 workers from 79 community organizations. Nearly 330 individuals carried out 115 door-to-door visits, reaching out to over 4,800 people, with 3,000 of them aged 65 and above.
Throughout the month-long campaign, the teams paid special attention to the risks associated with extreme heat waves and fire hazards. Based on their findings, interventions ranged from prevention and raising awareness (using informational leaflets) to swift follow-up with the appropriate services, such as the BTER and the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (Montreal Fire Department).
Over the years, the operation has broadened the range of institutional and community-based support available, including home support in cases of abuse, food aid, helplines, friendship services, and appointment accompaniment. This year, a pilot project was introduced, supported by the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-Montréal, to expedite care. Social workers accompanying police officers can now directly submit requests, eliminating the need for an additional intermediary.
The conclusion of Operation "Visit a Senior" serves as a reminder that all Montreal residents can contribute to the well-being and safety of seniors throughout the year by remaining vigilant and reporting any vulnerable individuals they encounter.
Available resources:
- For situations that do not require immediate attention :
Elder Abuse Help Line, an anonymous, confidential, bilingual, and free service, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week. 1 888 489-ABUS (2287)
- For urgent situations:
911
SOURCE: SPVM
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