It's shedding light on an issue that's been kept in the darkness.The drama room at Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) is buzzing these days, as the 23 students enrolled in the program rehearse a special play they'll perform in early November. Called "Never Say Never," the play is meant to create awareness about an important issue - elder abuse. The play was written by local playwright Katherine Pulice, and it explores four types of seniors abuse - emotional, financial, health care, and neglect. The play focuses on one set of grandparents. The grandfather is neglected and financially abused by a nurse hired to take care of his wife, who has Alzheimer's disease, and the rest of his family as well. His wife is also neglected and physically abused. There's also some health care fraud committed by the nurse.The abuse is finally uncovered by the couple's grandson."This is about bullying," said Glenda Lees, head of the HCI drama department, who is coordinating the play. "We talked about this yesterday... the definition (of bullying) as taking advantage of somebody, using your power over someone else."The play is being sponsored by the Humboldt Seniors Club in conjunction with Saskatoon Health Region, Safe Communities Humboldt and Area, and Partners Family Services. It was Tracy Shewciw of Safe Communities Humboldt and Area who approached HCI about doing this play, and Lees was happy to get on board. "We were looking at something this drama class could do to raise awareness (about something)," Lees said. "It works very well with the curriculum, and it's a good thing for these guys to be a part of.""We are hoping that our target audience will be our senior population, as well as their family members and local professionals," stated Shewciw.The storyline packs a lot into a 40-minute timeframe."The writer has done an excellent job putting lots of stuff in it," said Lees, who added that the incidents in the play are based on real-life accounts, not necessarily from local people, or all happening to the same people, but all of it has happened."It's all based on a true story," said Lees. Most of the students in the class had been aware of the concept of seniors abuse, thanks to commercials on television, but not the specifics. The class actually researched elder abuse before diving into the play, and talked a lot about the information they gathered. "There are six different types of elder abuse," one student noted. "But no one knows about it. It's kept quiet. Elders don't speak up about it," another student put in. Lees said the class, herself included, was shaken by the things they discovered were happening to seniors."It was a shock to realize how prevalent it is," she said.Paul Elias, who plays the grandfather, said he was disgusted when he found out how some people treat the elderly. But seniors, he added, don't feel they have a voice, to tell people if they are being treated badly. "They go back to infancy.... to having no voice for themselves," he said. The class hopes this play raises awareness about seniors abuse."It's a serious thing. Just as bad if not worse than child abuse," said one student. They also hope it will help seniors understand when they are being abused, another student noted. Seniors are so used to taking care of people, they often don't realize they are being taken advantage of, she noted. "They don't see themselves as abused. They don't see themselves as needing help," she said. The play will be staged on Thursday, November 8 at HCI, starting at 8:45 a.m.The class is hoping that seniors and those who take care of them - health care workers and family members - all attend. The performance will be open to the general public, and admission is free. Though not all 23 students will be on stage for this play, all have been involved. Two students are directing the action, on stage - Alyssa Hinz is the director, and Tara Warford the assistant director, while others are doing lighting, sound, costuming, sets, and makeup."Everyone has a part to play," said Lees. The play will kick off a series of presentations made to members of the Humboldt Seniors Club regarding elder abuse in coming months.
