ANY definition of elder abuse must recognise a pre-existing relationship of trust between victims and perpetrators.
That’s the view of Seniors Rights Victoria, which is contained in the first of 17 recommendations in its submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s inquiry into elder abuse.
The inquiry was announced by Attorney-General George Brandis earlier last year, with the commission subsequently releasing an issues paper posing 50 questions about different aspects of elder abuse.
The first four questions deal with the key point of what constitutes elder abuse.
Principal lawyer for Seniors Rights Victoria, Pam Morton, said data from the organisation for a two-year period indicated that 92 per cent of elder abuse was carried out by people related to, or in a de facto relationship with, the older person – and 67 per cent was carried out by children of the person.
“This pre-existing trust relationship is important in the definition of elder abuse,” Ms Morton said.
“Most perpetrators are related to their victims, either directly or as intimate partners, and therefore the type of abuse is different from consumer-based abuse and exploitation, such as scams that target older people.”
She said the new inquiry held the definition of elder abuse up for consideration.
“The World Health Organisation defines elder abuse as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.
“A number of other organisations also have defined it, but there is a bit of a lack of consensus.
“Our view is that there is an expectation of trust between the victim and perpetrator, and this goes to the heart of the insidious nature of elder abuse.
“That trust relationship can bring on a sense of entitlement in perpetrators to the point where they sometimes think their actions are justified.”
Because of the close relationship between the victim and their abuser, often victims are reluctant to report abuse for fear of losing contact with their families, or bringing shame if they are punished under the law.
The need for a consistent definition of elder abuse feeds into another significant area – a national prevalence study.
Ms Morton said a proper Australia-wide elder abuse prevalence study, and examination of the effectiveness of various prevention and intervention strategies, is needed.
“Embarking on a prevalence study is difficult when there is a lack of consensus on the definition of elder abuse, which is why a proper definition must be reached,” she said.
The Australian Law Reform Commission report is due in May.
The state government has announced $1 million in funding for programs supporting elder abuse victims.
The announcement coincided with the appointment of Commissioner for Senior Victorians, Gerard Mansour, as an anti-elder abuse ambassador.
“One of my priorities as ambassador will be to work on the prevention of elder abuse, and the best way to do that is to get the issue out in the open, rather than something that is locked up in families,” Mr Mansour said.
“The sad thing is that many elder Victorians suffering abuse do so in silence, or even fail to acknowledge to themselves they are victims.”
The extra funding will assist support programs raise awareness of elder abuse and older people’s rights.
- If you, or someone you know, is being abused, contact Seniors Rights Victoria, 1300-368-821.
