Dr Daphne Nahmiash

ABOUT

To say that Dr. Daphne Nahmiash has devoted her life to helping improve the lives of seniors is anything but an overstatement. Well before receiving a PhD in social services and gerontology in 1998, she has been focused on combatting ageism and stopping the abuse and neglect of the most vulnerable in our society through her professional pursuits and volunteer activities. Dedicating her time, energy and expertise to countless organizations and initiatives over the decades, Daphne has had a positive impact and empowered seniors. In addition to being the founder and honorary president of the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Community Committee on Elder Abuse, she is a member and former chair of the McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging. 

As an advocate who speaks out against the mistreatment of elderly people in long-term-care environments, Daphne has co-authored When Seniors Are Abused: A Guide to Intervention and written several government reports on elder abuse, neglect and services. In 2012, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Canadian Association on Gerontology, an award that honours the recipient’s significant contributions to a province or community within the country. Since 2016, Daphne has been the president of the board of directors at Handicap-Vie-Dignité (HVD), where she has created a variety of educational tools that seek to make lasting change. In this role, she has also built strong alliances with various organizations, health professionals and members of the judicial system and the public while raising awareness and deepening the dialogue about the needs and rights of nearly 40,000 adults who live in long-term care in Quebec.

HANDICAP-VIE-DIGNITÉ 

Handicap-Vie-Dignité (HVD) was co-founded in 1991 by Hélène Rumak and Johanne Ravenda to lovingly honour the memory and life of their friend Lise T. Inspired by the belief in a “collective and individual duty of advocacy” for society’s most vulnerable, the mission of the Montreal-based organization is to work toward improving the quality of life of adults with severe disabilities and elderly residents in long-term care homes and ensuring their needs are met and better understood. Putting a spotlight on the issue of abuse of those who live in long-term-care environments, HVD advocates for adults and seniors who rely on others to meet their basic daily needs.