There is nothing funny about elder abuse, but the La Belle Gang theatre company from Lachute, Quebec, is using humour as a gateway to help seniors who are living in abusive relationships to get help. In early June the troupe will be making two stops in the Townships to present its English play, “Grandpa is Not a Cash Cow & Grandma Won’t Take Any Bull,” with the aim of helping people to recognize and to understand the realities of how seniors can be suffering in silence. “The main thing about elder abuse is to talk about it, because talking aobut it is the very first step to getting out of it,” said Marie-Claude Hénault, the play’s Director. “Very often (seniors) just don’t want to talk about it. They don’t want to admit that they are abused by their son or daughter, because it is often a family thing.” Hénault explained that the English play is a translation of François Jobin’s 2011 work, “Faudrait pas prendre grand-mère pour une dinde et grand-père pour son dindon,” which was written in consultation with seniors in the Laurentians. See full story in the Tuesday, May 22nd edition of The Record.
English play to tackle the drama of Elder Abuse
By Gordon Lambie
