South Shore police services changing response to domestic violence involving dementia

Police services on Nova Scotia’s South Shore are changing the way they respond to domestic violence calls involving someone with dementia, which they say are on the rise.

RCMP and the Bridgewater Police Service launched a collaborative initiative called the Silver Guardian Program last week.

“Based on the past and previous years, we did see an increase and we need some tools to be able to handle those [calls] because I think it’s with the aging population, obviously, I don’t think it’s going to go away,” said Cpl. Dominic Laflamme with Lunenburg County RCMP.

The purpose of the program is to offer an alternative to the justice system for someone charged in relation to domestic violence who is suffering from diseases like Alzheimer’s, he said.

Anyone in a relationship with someone with dementia who feels they might be at risk of abuse can reach out to police before an incident happens and be connected to support services, Laflamme said.

Cpl. Dominic Laflamme says domestic incidents involving someone suffering from dementia are outside the scope of RCMP’s duty. (David Laughlin/CBC)

Police have to lay charges if an assault has occurred even if it involves someone with a degenerative brain disease and their partner, Laflamme said, but they’ll ask Crown prosecutors not to pursue the charges and to find a resolution outside the courtroom.

“There’s times criminal charges are not the answer. This is not necessarily going to help solve the problem,” he said.

The program is a result of the RCMP reviewing its policies and practices after a man killed his wife before taking his own life in Mahone Bay last year.

Aging demographic

When the Bridgewater Police Service noticed the aging demographic in their area, they decided to prepare for the changing needs of the community.

The Lunenburg County Seniors Safety Program is based at Bridgewater police headquarters. 

Staff for that program applied for federal funding for the Silver Guardian Project, which is managed through the RCMP’s vulnerable person unit, after noticing a trend of domestic violence incidents.

“We do see a lot of incidents with people with dementia,” said Danny MacPhee, Bridgewater’s deputy police chief.

Danny MacPhee, deputy chief of the Bridgewater Police Service, says the population in his community is aging and that brings an increase in incidents involving people with dementia. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)

“We’re getting called to outbursts and situations that can become dangerous,” he said. 

Someone who doesn’t have the capacity to understand the situation they’re in or remember their loved one probably shouldn’t be sent to jail, MacPhee said.

Police officers need to consider the totality of the circumstances when responding to these types of calls, he said. 

“It’s not appropriate for us to, again, push somebody through the justice system when they need care,” MacPhee said. 

MORE TOP STORIES