Wildflower GBV Primer with Pathways for Healing

GBV Across the Lifespan: Many older women have experienced GBV throughout their lives, with abuse shifting forms over time. In intimate relationships, violence may evolve from physical violence to more psychological abuse and ongoing coercive control, which can be harder to recognize but is equally as harmful.¹ 

Older 2SLGBTQI+ women and nonbinary people face additional risks for GBV, such as discrimination in shelters, healthcare, and long-term care, where their gender identity or sexual orientation may not be affirmed or may even expose them to targeted mistreatment.²

Late-Onset Violence: Some older women encounter GBV for the first time later in life, triggered by life transitions such as retirement, declining health, or caregiving responsibilities. The violence and abuse may come from intimate partners, adult children, or other family members.

Caregiver Abuse: Abuse by caregivers, including family, partners, or paid professionals, can involve physical, emotional, sexual, or financial harm, as well as neglect (e.g., withholding necessary care or medication). As men age, they are also more vulnerable to this type of abuse as well as financial abuse and exploitation.

Financial Abuse and Exploitation: Financial control, theft, coercion to change legal documents, and asset manipulation are common forms of GBV that leave older people economically vulnerable, isolated, or unable to meet basic needs. The abuse can be committed by an intimate partner, family members, friends or in institutions by staff.

Sexual Violence and Coercion: Older women do experience sexual violence, which is underreported due to stigma, shame, and societal myths that deny older women’s sexuality. 

Across Borders and Crises: In conflict zones and crisis contexts, older women also face heightened risks of GBV, including rape as a weapon of war, sexual violence, exploitation, and abuse. These risks are compounded by ageism, displacement, disrupted social networks, and limited access to protection or justice. Older women may be targeted specifically due to their perceived vulnerability, isolation, or lack of mobility.

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_{1. Research indicates that while physical violence may decline as couples grow older, psychological and emotional abuse in the context of coercive control can persist or even become more prominent. This transition is often tied to changing power dynamics, dependency issues, or caregiving situations in later life. See: The experience of intimate partner violence among older women: A narrative review - PubMed (nih.gov)}

_{2. See Egale: Aging and Living Well Among LGBTQI Older Adults. (2023)}

Emotional, psychological, verbal, financial, and neglect-based abuse are all forms of GBV that are often part of a pattern of ongoing coercive control, a deliberate effort to dominate, isolate, or erode a person’s autonomy. They may be harder to recognize or disclose, especially when compounded by ageism, health challenges, or reliance on the person causing harm.

While physical violence may decrease in some long-term abusive relationships, psychological and verbal abuse, coercive control, financial exploitation, and neglect, often persist or worsen. According to the Canadian Femicide Observatory, older women continue to be at significant risk of intimate partner femicide.³ These acts of violence are often overlooked or mischaracterized, contributing to the invisibility of older victim-survivors. Older 2SLGBTQI+ individuals face compounded invisibility, as GBV research often fails to account for the ways heteronormativity and cisnormativity shape access to support services.

_{3. See: Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. Call it Femicide (2020)}

Generations of women have been socialized in times when domestic violence was considered a private issue or a "normal" part of marriage, making them less likely to recognize or name their experiences as abuse. They may not disclose violence due to shame, stigma, or generational norms that discourage speaking out about family matters. 

Many fear losing their home, financial security, or independence if they leave an abusive partner or report violence by a caregiver. Internalized victim-blaming over a lifetime can lead older women to minimize their experiences. Others may distrust formal support systems, particularly those who have experienced systemic harm from state institutions. Older trans and nonbinary people, for example, may fear being misgendered, denied services, or placed in unsafe accommodations when seeking help.

When the person causing harm is an adult child or grandchild, an older woman may feel she has to protect them from authorities and judgement of others, especially in communities that have long experienced the misuse of power by authorities and/or the state, reflecting deep values tied to family commitment, self-sacrifice, and a sense of moral responsibility toward loved ones, even in the face of personal harm. When the societal response to abusive behaviour is limited to criminalization and jail, with no way back to the community or healing once labelled an ‘abuser’, mothers of any age are more likely to protect their children.

These acts are frequently perpetrated without the woman’s consent, are cruelly violent and reflect dynamics of control, not compassion. The Canadian Femicide Observatory has documented cases where men kill their partners under the guise of care, but these killings are rooted in power, entitlement, and a lack of regard for the woman’s autonomy and life.

As women age, they are devalued in a society that prioritizes youth, productivity, and reproductive potential. This devaluation makes their experiences of abuse easier to ignore, both in personal relationships and institutional settings.

The term “older women” can be both helpful and harmful. The term highlights a group often overlooked in research, policy, and services. It also collapses multiple generations and diverse identities into a single, static category. For example, a woman in her early 60s may be navigating workplace harassment or post-divorce coercion, while a woman in her 80s may face caregiver violence or institutional neglect.

Age is not a fixed identity, it is shaped by social location, life experience, and systems of power. A trauma- and violence-informed approach must account for the full complexity of ageing and avoid one-size-fits-all responses.

Intersectionality is a framework that helps us understand how overlapping aspects of identity (such as race, Indigeneity, ability, gender, class, sexual orientation, language, immigration status, education, geographic location) shape a person's experience of violence, their access to support, and how they are treated by systems.

For example, an older woman living in a rural area may face geographic isolation and a lack of services, while a racialized older woman in an urban centre may encounter racism or language barriers when seeking help. How others perceive her, through the lens of ageism, sexism, and other forms of bias, also affects whether her experience is recognized or dismissed.

Ability is another important intersection that shapes experiences of gender-based violence. Ableism across the lifespan shows up in how we value independence, how we design systems, and who we listen to. When ableism intersects with ageism and sexism, it doesn't just shape how older women are treated, it reveals how society devalues interdependence, overlooks non-normative ways of living, and punishes those who fall outside narrow ideals of strength, autonomy, or productivity.

Intersectionality reminds us that GBV is always a unique experience, and that effective responses must acknowledge and reflect the diverse realities of older women’s lives.

Tolerance of GBV is not inherent to any culture, it is rooted in patriarchal power structures, which take different forms across contexts. Violence against women is a global issue.

Collectivist cultures place strong value on family and community which can create different attitudes and pressures around disclosure, but this does not mean they accept violence more than others. Collectivist communities have rich traditions of mutual care, accountability, and resistance to violence.

The assumption that certain cultures are more tolerant of GBV reinforces racism, xenophobia, and colonial logic while deflecting attention from how GBV is normalized in white, Western, individualist societies, in different ways.

Human services must recognize and respond to the specific vulnerabilities of older women with cognitive or neurological disabilities, including dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), acquired brain injuries, developmental disabilities, Parkinson’s disease, and post-stroke impairments. These conditions may limit a woman’s ability to recognize abuse, communicate concerns, or seek help, making them more susceptible to neglect, coercion, and exploitation.

Abuse is often dismissed as confusion or a “symptom” of cognitive decline. Professionals in all sectors must be trained to recognize non-verbal signs of violence and coercion, and to avoid assumptions that undermine credibility or autonomy. In some cases, the abusive person, including family members or staff, use cognitive decline to justify unwanted medical decisions, restrict access to resources, or commit financial abuse.

Three potential non-verbal signs of abuse: 

• Sudden or unexplained changes in behaviour or mood
• Avoidance or stress around specific people or places
• Physical signs that are inconsistent with the explanation provided, or that go unexplained

In the absence of a clear medical cause, these may be red flags for physical abuse, rough handling, or neglect.

To ensure safety and dignity, reporting mechanisms must be accessible and inclusive. Alternatives to traditional crisis lines, such as in-person support, visual tools, and community-based interventions, are essential for supporting victim-survivors with a range of communication needs. Advocacy, accessibility, and a trauma- and violence-informed approach are critical to protecting the rights of older women with disabilities.

Colonialism, racism, and GBV are deeply intertwined, particularly for Indigenous women and Two-Spirited people, who experience higher rates of violence, systemic poverty, and state-imposed family separation. Older Indigenous women may be victim-survivors of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, or other forms of state violence, making them more distrustful of institutions. 

Racialized older women often experience language barriers, economic discrimination, and immigration-related vulnerabilities that increase their risk of GBV.

They often lack age-specific outreach, accessible facilities, and staff trained to recognize or respond to GBV in later life. Shelters may be unable to accommodate mobility limitations, chronic illnesses, or cognitive decline. This creates significant barriers to access and support.

Common misconceptions include:

• Assuming older women don’t experience GBV
• Confusing financial abuse with “normal” family dynamics
• Dismissing sexual violence due to stereotypes about aging and desire
• Minimizing non-physical forms of abuse (emotional, financial, neglect)
• Attributing signs of trauma to age-related conditions like dementia
• Believing GBV only happens in heterosexual relationships, ignoring the risks faced by older 2SLGBTQI+ individuals

Older women are particularly affected by the long-term impacts of unpaid or underpaid caregiving. The systemic devaluation of care work contributes to financial insecurity, dependency, and increased vulnerability to GBV in both private and institutional settings. This economic vulnerability is not incidental, it results from structural gender inequalities, including wage gaps, pension disparities, and exclusion from labour protections. The exploitation of caregiving labour is a form of structural and gendered violence that persists across the life course.

GBV services often centre the needs of younger women with children, making older women feel invisible or out of place. Structural barriers include inaccessible shelters, limited income, pension gaps, lack of affordable housing, and services that don’t account for chronic health conditions or cognitive impairments. Many professionals lack training in recognizing GBV among older adults, and when training exists, it may not take an intersectional approach. Ageism, sexism, ableism, and homophobia/transphobia further compound these challenges.

Older 2SLGBTQI+ individuals may avoid services due to fear of discrimination or retraumatization from past institutional harm.

Without explicit protections against GBV, systemic dependency and power imbalances can actually heighten GBV risks. Older women may experience neglect, verbal abuse, financial exploitation, or physical and sexual violence, from staff, co-residents, or family members. They can lose control over their bodies, decisions, and dignity. Too often, institutions create environments where financial, psychological, sexual, and physical abuse are hidden or normalized. Older women may be isolated from trusted supports, fear retaliation if they speak out, or be dismissed due to ageist and sexist assumptions. Oversight mechanisms often prioritize efficiency or liability over relational safety, leaving systemic blind spots. Protection requires intentional safeguards, accountability, and trauma- and violence-informed practices that can challenge assumptions that placement in an institution ensures safety. 

Women are more likely to retire into poverty due to lower lifetime earnings, unpaid caregiving, and pension disparities. Without financial security, many are forced to remain in unsafe relationships or living arrangements where they experience abuse.

Improving GBV responses for older women requires policy and legal reforms to address both immediate service gaps and the broader structural inequities that leave them vulnerable to violence. Such as:

Explicit Inclusion of Older Women in National GBV Strategies: Canada’s National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (2022) does not recognize older women as a priority group, despite their vulnerability to violence. Policy frameworks must explicitly include older women in GBV funding, research, and service models.

Stronger Legal Protections Against Economic Abuse: In some jurisdictions, laws and policies may not adequately protect older women from GBV, especially when the violence is committed by family members other than intimate partners. Many older women remain in abusive situations due to financial dependence, pension insecurity, or coercive control over assets. Legal reforms should recognize economic abuse as a distinct form of GBV, strengthen protections for victim-survivors, and ensure equitable pension and social security access for women who performed unpaid caregiving work.

GBV-Informed Long-Term Care and Health Policies: Long-term care facilities and healthcare systems must integrate GBV identification, prevention, and response measures to address the violence, neglect, and abuse older women experience in institutional settings. This includes staff training grounded in an intersectional lens, clear complaint mechanisms, and oversight to prevent mistreatment.

Age-Inclusive Housing and Shelter Policies: Most shelters and transitional housing programs are designed for younger victim-survivors and do not accommodate older women’s mobility, health, or long-term needs. Policies must fund age-appropriate housing solutions that provide safety, accessibility, and long-term stability for older victim-survivors.

Workplace Protections and Fair Pay for Care Workers: Many older women remain in precarious caregiving roles, where they are underpaid, overworked, and exposed to workplace harassment or abuse, as well as job-related injuries. Labour policies must ensure stronger protections for care workers, wage parity, occupational health and safety and secure retirement benefits to prevent economic vulnerability and exploitation.

Integrated GBV Responses within Healthcare, Justice and Social Services: Current responses to elder abuse often depoliticize violence, framing it as a private or family issue rather than recognizing it as a gendered and systemic problem. This framing obscures power dynamics and minimizes the specific risks older women, and other marginalized older adults, face.

To address this, GBV and elder abuse services must be more effectively integrated, with a consistent application of a gendered, intersectional lens across all sectors. This includes training professionals in healthcare, justice, and social services to recognize the dynamics of GBV in later life, across all genders, while understanding how age, ability, race, sexuality, and class intersect to shape vulnerability and access to support.

Funding for Community-Based, Culturally Safe Services: Many racialized, Indigenous, rural older women and 2SLGBTQI+people as well as those living with disabilities, face unique barriers to GBV support. Policy changes must prioritize funding for grassroots, culturally safe, and community-led services that reflect the diverse realities of older victim-survivors.

A whole-community approach is essential to prevention. GBV services should not operate in isolation. Older women experiencing violence may initially seek help through other services such as housing, healthcare, elder care, disability, or mental health services. Cross-sector integration ensures that signs of violence are recognized and addressed wherever support is accessed, reducing the burden on victim-survivors to navigate fragmented systems.

Traditionally, GBV and elder abuse have been treated as separate issues, one framed through gender and power, the other through age and vulnerability. This divide often leaves older women, especially 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, underserved or invisible. Bridging the gap requires embedding trauma- and violence-informed care (TVIC) into all responses, ensuring that GBV services include older adults, and that elder abuse services recognize gendered dynamics of power and control.

Ageism and sexism must be addressed together. Tailored training and coordinated services enhance safety, autonomy, and long-term stability for older victim-survivors.

Challenging ageism starts with recognizing and unlearning the biases that frame older women as invisible, passive, or a low priority in GBV work. Organizations can audit their policies, training, and service models to assess where age discrimination is embedded, whether intentionally or not. This includes reviewing outreach strategies, identification and assessment tools, and intake forms to ensure they reflect older women’s realities. Professionals can advocate for funding allocations that include older victim-survivors, push for intergenerational approaches to GBV prevention, and ensure older women’s voices are present in decision-making. At a broader level, disrupting ageist narratives in social services, media, and policy helps shift the cultural assumption that GBV is an issue only affecting younger women.

Existing services can support older women experiencing GBV, but only if they are intentionally restructured. Simply inserting older women into current models risks overlooking age-specific barriers and reinforcing exclusion. Services must move beyond “inclusion” toward relational, equity-driven systems designed around older women’s lived realities. This means embedding trauma- and violence-informed, culturally safe, and adaptive practices into everyday service delivery. The Wildflower Guide emphasizes that transformation happens not just in policy, but in the ways professionals listen, engage, and create space for older women’s experiences. Only through such intentional redesign can existing services truly meet their needs.