October 7th is Ageism Awareness Day. To mark this occasion, Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, and the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism are teaming up to host a special online event on Thursday, October 5th.
The event will bring together Dr. Kiran Rabheru and Margaret Gillis (ILC Canada, co-founders of the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism) and Dr. Claudia Mahler, the United Nations Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by Older Persons.
Together they will discuss:
- CCAA’s goals, activities and current campaign against ageism
- How a Convention on the Rights of Older People could help counter age discrimination and prevent elder abuse
- The work Canadian organizations are leading at the international level to bring about a UN Convention on the Rights on Older Adults and how you can support this effort.
Register: https://eapon.ca/Ageism_SpecialEvent
Webinar provided with an ASL Interpreter
Speakers
Dr. Kiran Rabheru
Board Chair of the International Longevity Centre and Professor of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa and Geriatric Psychiatrist at The Ottawa Hospital
Dr. Kiran Rabheru is Full Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa and Geriatric Psychiatrist at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH). He serves as Medical Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry, Electroconvulsive (ECT), and the Behavioral Support Programs at TOH. He obtained his MD from University of Western Ontario and practiced as a family doctor for 5 years in rural and urban settings. He is a Certificant and Fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP, FCFP). Subsequently, he completed a residency in psychiatry, subspecialized in geriatric psychiatry, and became Board Certified as a geriatric psychiatrist in Canada (FRCP) and the United States (DABPN).
Dr. Rabheru has been passionate and fully committed to serving the elderly throughout his life, and is recognized nationally and internationally for his work. He is a Founder of the subspecialty of Geriatric Psychiatry at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is recipient of the Outstanding Achievements in Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada award by the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry (www.cagp.ca ) and has served as the President of the CAGP and its Board for many years.
At present, he co-leads the Canadian Coalition of Seniors Mental Health (www.ccsmh.ca ). He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Longevity Centre ( www.ilccanada.org ), Canada and a member of the Board of the International Psychogeriatric Association (www.ipa-online.org ). Recently, he has been elected as Chair of the Section of Positive Psychiatry of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA). He serves on the national leadership team for the Fountain of Health (www.fountainofhealth.ca) initiative, where he has been active in promoting healthy aging, brain resilience and vitality.
Margaret Gillis
Founding President of the International Longevity Centre Canada
Margaret Gillis is the founding President of the International Longevity Centre Canada, a human rights based organization, and Co-President of the International Longevity Centre Global Alliance, which is an alliance of 16 Centres around the world dedicated to the needs of older people. She is also an Ambassador for Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario.
Margaret is an award winning executive and innovative leader, she played a key role in establishing the Age-friendly Community program in Canada and internationally. Other career highlights include a joint government-NGO project to protect seniors in disasters.
Margaret has strong credentials in regard to human rights, working with and speaking at the UN General Assembly on behalf of older people. Margaret has been actively working for a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons in Canada and internationally. With a background in health promotion, protection and programming, Margret is committed to improving the rights of older people.
Margaret holds a BA in History (Queen’s ) and a Master’s in Public Administration (Carleton).
Dr. Claudia Mahler
Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons
Ms. Claudia Mahler (Austria) assumed her role as Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons in May 2020. She has been a senior researcher in the field of economic, social and cultural rights for the German Institute for Human Rights since 2010. She was also a visiting professor at the Alice Salomon Hochschule in 2020-2021.
From 2001 to 2009, Ms. Mahler conducted research at the Human Rights Centre of the University of Potsdam where her main fields were in human rights education, minority rights and the law of asylum. In 2000, she was appointed as Vice President of the Human Rights Commission for Tyrol and Vorarlberg.
She has also worked as a lecturer in the field of human rights law and as a consultant to OHCHR in Geneva. From 1997-2001, she held the position of an assistant at the Leopold-Franzens-University Innsbruck, Austria in the field of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedures. Ms. Mahler received her doctoral degree in 2000.