Seniors’ Violence Prevention
& Self-Defense
SAFE International™ is dedicated to teaching our older adult community violence prevention and self-defense with courses that are honest, memorable, and practical.
When you think of self-defense, older adults don’t necessarily come to mind first. But seniors are quite susceptible to violence, sharing a comparable statistic—about 10 percent of all seniors are victims of crime—with younger Canadians who experience frequent physical . [i]
We’ve developed a seniors’ self-defense course to protect this important sector of our population, taking their specific needs into account.
Often, older people have health issues, which might hinder their capability to defend themselves. That’s why we put considerable emphasis on the awareness and avoidance component of personal-safety training.
We take the client through an array of scenarios they may come across on any day.
[i] https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/crim/sum-som.html
Topics include:
Displaying real confidence, not fake
Why you should always trust your intuition
How to safely walk in the street
Manipulation strategies used on Seniors
Home and car safety
Protecting valuables
Conflict-resolution training
Plus, much more
As you can see, we incorporate humour into all our self-defense presentations, ensuring all the participants feel comfortable while explaining serious topics.
We believe everyone should have the right self-defense skills when faced with the potential of serious physical harm. So, while our popular course, which was featured in www.star.com, focuses on how to avoid dangerous scenarios, we also give time to the physical concepts of self-defense.
We teach participants to strike the most vulnerable targets on the body in a way that does not require an impressive deal of strength. In addition to teaching a few strikes, we address the most common attacks one might experience. We practice all of this in a supportive and safe environment.
And the best part is that we can come to you. SAFE International is a mobile self-protection business, and we can instruct seniors in their homes, retirement homes, seniors centres, or anywhere a group may be gathering.
Testimonials
“Safe International’s teaching principals of humour and relevance worked very well with our group. It can be very challenging to get older adults out of their homes and involved in programs. Safe International understands that teaching self-defense through fear tactics does not work well with older adults. They also understand the importance of educating through laughter.
The techniques taught were relevant and took into account the varying abilities of the students. Time for questions and story sharing was enjoyed by all, and the preventative skills they learned are crucial.
Self-defense is an extremely important skill for older adults to have, not only in keeping them safe but giving them confidence. Many of our older adults have lost abilities over the years and struggle to remain living independently. Safe International helped them to regain a sense of control and independence in their lives.”
I strongly recommend Safe International to other Older Adult Centres.
Yours truly,
Sherri Bulmer
Older Adult Program Co-ordinator, Central Eglinton Community Centre
“SAFE International came to the Bernard Betel Centre and ran a very successful session with our seniors. Chris was a fantastic instructor, incorporating humour and fun into the presentation delivery. He was able to tailor an informative and educational presentation that was of great value to the audience. The feedback I received from the seniors was wonderful, and we look forward to having him back again soon.”
Katie Giles
Health Promotion & Wellness Coordinator
Bernard Betel Centre