Training for health professionals

This free elder abuse prevention training is brought to you by The Bouverie Centre in conjunction with The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Monash Health, Peninsula Health, Western Health, LCHS and funded by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, as part of the integrated model of care (IMOC) for responding to suspected elder abuse.

The Bouverie Centre delivers livestreamed training workshops on elder abuse as part of the Integrated model of care for responding to suspected elder abuse. There is no cost involved and each workshop can count towards three Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours. All Victorian professionals in the health, aged care or community services (including specialist family violence) sector who work regularly with older people are eligible to register for the training. The workshops consist of an introductory ‘Level 1 training’ and four advanced practice modules (APM) on specialist topics:

• APM 1: Inclusivity and trauma informed practice in recognising and responding to elder abuse
• APM 2: Engaging supportive family members in the person-centred response to elder abuse
• APM 3: Engaging effectively and safely with adults who use violence against older people
• APM 4: Responding to elder abuse where decision making capacity is an issue

For more information on the sessions (such as learning outcomes) and to book in a place please visit the Bouverie Centre website.

Additional Resources

The following additional resources can also be accessed and provide a good introduction to elder abuse. They are also a suitable prerequisite for the training delivered by The Bouverie Centre (as outlined above).

• Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV)'s Elder Abuse Toolkit and Resources.

• The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) is a network of nine state and territory organisations that deliver advocacy information and education services to older people in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas. Visit OPAN's website to access the free modules on elder abuse designed for health and aged care professionals.
  • You will have to register to gain and access and will need to place the modules you wish to access in your shopping cart.
  • Note the focus of elder abuse in these modules is broader than family violence.

• The Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA) is the peak body supporting Victoria’s public healthcare sector (public hospitals, aged care and community health services) to deliver high quality care. Visit VHA's website provides access to free modules on elder abuse developed specifically for staff of residential aged care services.

• Strengthening Hospital Responses to Family Violence (SHRFV) is a whole of hospital response to family violence. Visit SHRFV's website to access the supplementary module on responding to an older person experiencing family violence.