The purpose of the submission made by Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV) to the Royal Commission into Family Violence is to bring much needed political and community attention to the under- recognised and underreported abuse of older people – known as ‘elder abuse’. Elder abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional or psychological, financial or social abuse and neglect. Through its Helpline and legal and advocacy services, SRV assists people aged 60 years and older (45 years and older for Indigenous clients) who are experiencing any form of abuse, mistreatment or financial exploitation at the hands of a trusted person such as a family member, friend or carer.
Research on the prevalence of elder abuse is limited. Internationally, elder abuse is estimated to affect between 1% and 10% of older populations. Australian research indicates that approximately 2% to 6% of people aged 60 years and over suffer abuse. There is no prevalence data for Victoria. However, in 2013- 14, SRV provided legal and advocacy advice to 343 older people. Financial and emotional or psychological abuse are the most common forms of abuse reported to SRV.
Elder abuse is family violence when it occurs within the context of a family relationship and this is commonly the case: an analysis of SRV’s Helpline data for a recent two year period showed that over 90% of alleged perpetrators were related to the older person including by marriage or as de facto partners, with two thirds of abuse being perpetrated by a son or daughter of the older person.
Elder abuse is not widely acknowledged by the public. Older people who seek help from SRV rarely identify themselves as victims of ‘elder abuse’ or ‘family violence’. As such, SRV’s submission urges the Royal Commission to help bring the largely hidden experiences of older victims of family violence into the public consciousness. Family violence does not limit itself as to age, gender, socio- economic background or type of relationship; in cases of elder abuse, there may be long-term intimate partner violence that continues into old age, intimate partner violence that begins to occur because a partner declines in cognitive abilities (for example, because of dementia) or abuse in any of its forms by an adult son or daughter against his or her mother or father. Raising public awareness of this breadth of experience of family violence should, SRV submits, be a major goal of the Royal Commission.
SRV’s extensive list of recommendations to the Royal Commission are made in the context of a recommended whole-of-government approach led by the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, the Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing and the Attorney-General with the potential for greater vision and innovation to be exercised by the Commissioner for Senior Victorians in advocating for the rights and interests of elder abuse victims.
Recommendations made by SRV to the Royal Commission focus on ways to prevent elder abuse in families, to intervene early where abuse occurs, to support victims in accessing assistance and services and to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.