Seniors First BC wishes everyone the best for 2026!

Seniors First BC is a charitable, non-profit society that provides information, legal advocacy, and support to older adults across BC with issues affecting their well-being. Our services are delivered through our Seniors Abuse and Information Line, Victim Services, Elder Law Clinic, Advance Planning Clinics, Legal Advocacy Program, and Public Education and Outreach Program.

Donations serve an important role in helping our programs operate. To make a donation to our organization safely and securely online, click the button below to access our Canada Helps page.

Click Here to Donate!

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

More than 85,000 people in B.C. are living with dementia and that number is expected to triple by 2050. To learn more about programs and services the Alzheimer Society of B.C. can provide, visit their website.

Protecting Victims Act (Bill C-16)

A Proposed Coercive Control Offence

According to a Statistics Canada report released in October 2025, family violence against seniors, after reaching the highest recorded level in 2023, continues to increase. In 2024, senior victims of family violence were most often victimized by their child (36%). Around one in four was victimized by a spouse (28%) or another type of family member (25%), while 11% were victimized by a sibling. Among senior women victims, their child (34%) or spouse (32%) was most often the perpetrator. Among senior male victims, their child (39%) was even more common as the perpetrator, while just over one in five (21%) was victimized by a spouse, a pattern echoed in calls to Seniors First BC’s Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL), reporting that in 2024/2025, 64% of abusers were adult children (32% sons and 32% daughters).

Tabled on Dec. 9 2025, the Protecting Victims Act (Bill C-16) marks an important step toward recognizing coercive control as a serious form of abuse. The proposed law signals recognition by the government that non-physical forms of abuse, such as manipulation, isolation, intimidation, and threats, constitute harm worthy of criminal consequences.

The Elder Justice Coalition, an ad-hoc group of 15 organizations from across Canada including Seniors First BC, recognises the proposal as a step forward in acknowledging the seriousness of coercive control by intimate partners through a proposed criminal offence, yet they hope for Bill C-16 to include coercive control by other adults in a position of trust as well, including adult children. The Coalition looks forward to discussing their perspectives with MPs and senators during a Legislative Advocacy Day on Parliament Hill on February 4, 2026.

For more information, read the statement from the Elder Justice Coalition or the report from Statistics Canada.

Winter Blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder

While we know that spring always follows winter, in British Columbia, some older adults may experience sadness, isolation, and an increased risk of depression during the winter months due to factors like reduced sunlight and social isolation, exacerbated by weather conditions.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that people in northern climates usually experience during the fall and winter months, due to reduced hours of sunlight.

Difference between Winter Blues and SAD

"Winter blues" is a general term for mild feelings of sluggishness and changes in appetite during winter. Seasonal affective disorder or SAD, on the other hand, is a clinical diagnosis characterized by more severe symptoms such as persistent sadness, loss of interest, and inability to concentrate for more than two weeks, and recurring annually during the same season. For those concerned they might be suffering from one or the other condition, resources to understand and cope with them are at hand.

Vaccine Recommendations

It’s never too late to protect yourself from the various viruses circulating around. The National Institute on Ageing (NIA) has recently released a document titled the Provincial and Territorial Vaccine One-Pagers 2025/26. The vaccine guides provide easy-to-understand summaries of national vaccine recommendations for older adults (65+), explain which vaccines are publicly covered in each province and territory and which are not, and let you know where you can go to get answers to your vaccine questions. To date, the document has been published in English and in French only, but to support accessibility and reach, these resources will be published in multiple languages over the coming weeks.

To read about the vaccine recommendations for B.C.’s seniors ( 65+), view the PDF from the National Institute on Ageing.

To learn more about the National Institute on Ageing, visit their website.

Our Upcoming Events

Residential Tenancy for Newcomer Seniors 新移民长者租房须知 (English, Mandarin) – Richmond (in-person or Zoom)

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 20th, 2025, 10:00 am–12:00 pm PST

Location: City Centre Community Centre or online via Zoom (see details below)

Join us for a presentation in partnership with S.U.C.C.E.S.S. BC and City Centre Community Centre. A Seniors First BC legal advocate will cover information on Residential Tenancy Law in British Columbia, including the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, and the process involved in dispute resolution with the Residential Tenancy Branch. Presented in English, with Mandarin translation.

Registration is required. For information: visit Residential Tenancy - S.U.C.C.E.S.S. BC or contact Cindy by phone 电话: 604-279-7180/604-335-2842 or email cindyqun.chen@success.bc.ca

Venue: Please Choose One Option 参与方式：任选一种

Option 选择1: Meeting Room 1 (1F City Centre Community Centre) 列治文市社区中心1楼会议室

Address地址: 5900 Minoru Blvd #105, Richmond, BC

Option 选择2: Online 线上会议 (ZOOM)

Government Benefits for Older Adults – Victoria BC

Date/Time: Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm PST

Location: Yakimovich Wellness Centre, 1454 Hillside Avenue, Victoria, BC

Seniors First BC is pleased to be partnering with the Eldercare Foundation, to deliver a presentation about Government Benefits for Older Adults. Given by one of our legal advocates, this presentation provides an informative overview of several federal and provincial government benefits for seniors, including Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Caregiver Tax Credit, Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER), Rebate for Accessible Home Adaptations (RAHA), and more.

To register, visit the ELDERCARE FOUNDATION.

Yakimovich Wellness Centre Contact:

Anika Sekhon, Eldercare Foundation Event Coordinator

Phone: 250-370-5609

Email: events@eldercarefoundation.org

Elder Abuse: What is it? What can we do about it? – Burnaby, Edmonds Community Centre

Date/Time: Thursday, January 22nd, 2026, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm PST

Location: Edmonds Community Centre, 7433 Edmonds Street, Burnaby

In partnership with Edmonds Community Centre we are offering this presentation about elder abuse, neglect, and self-neglect. Learn more about the correlation between social isolation and abuse of older adults, types of abuse and indicators, risk factors, and strategies to deal with abuse. We also introduce several resources for support that can assist older adults and concerned third parties in situations of elder abuse. FREE.

To register, visit Edmonds - Elder Abuse Awareness

Advance Planning – Prince George (in-person, online option)

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 27th, 2025, 10:30 am–12:00 pm PST

Location: Bob Harkins Branch, Prince George Public Library, 888 Canada Games Way OR attend online via Zoom.

In partnership with the Prince George Public Library, Seniors First BC is presenting on Advance Planning, which can help ensure your wishes will be respected if you were to become incapacitated and when you pass away. Our staff lawyer will discuss Wills, Powers of Attorney, Representation Agreements and other advance planning tools, potential misuse of these tools and resources for further assistance.

Free drop in.

If you would like to attend online, please contact the library to receive the Zoom link – by email ask@pgpl.ca or phone 250-563-9251

Advance Planning presentation – Burnaby Public Library (McGill Branch)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 27th, 2025, 1:00pm–2:30 pm PST

Location: McGill Branch, 4595 Albert Street, Burnaby

In partnership with the Burnaby Public Library, Seniors First BC is presenting on Advance Planning, which can help ensure your wishes will be respected if you were to become incapacitated and when you pass away. Our lawyer will discuss Wills, Powers of Attorney, Representation Agreements and other advance planning tools, potential misuse of these tools and resources for further assistance.

Registration is required. Please register at any BPL location, call 604-436-5400 or online.

Please check Seniors First BC’s website – Events page for latest updates and changes.

Contact Us

Our province-wide confidential Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL) is a safe place for older adults and those who care about them to talk to a professional intake worker about issues that affect their well-being, receive information, or learn about our programs. Call 604-437-1940 or Toll-Free at 1-866-437-1940 weekdays 8am to 8pm. Language interpretation is available. For individuals who cannot call SAIL due to disability or accessibility reasons, email us at info@seniorsfirstbc.ca or use the contact form on our website.

If you are interested in contributing to this newsletter as a volunteer, email outreach@seniorsfirstbc.ca.

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