NEW BEGINNINGS
HELP STOP ELDER ABUSE PROVIDING TAILORED SUPPORT AND SAFE SPACES FOR OLDER PEOPLE IS VITAL
T
hroughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we changed our behaviours, our routines, and our day-to-day lives to safeguard ourselves and protect the more vulnerable in our communities—including older people.
However, it’s not just the physical health of older people we need to be concerned about and protect. Almost 15 per cent of older people, or one in six, have experienced elder abuse in the previous 12 months, according to the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study, and the harsh reality is that this figure is likely to be an underestimate— especially during COVID-19, when the pandemic and physical distancing measures implemented across much of Australia left many older people socially isolated. From May to August 2021, the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) conducted research into the response of frontline services to elder abuse throughout the pandemic. In metropolitan Melbourne, which endured extended lockdowns, the health, emergency, legal and care services revealed that physical abuse and neglect increased substantially during 2020. This increase in abuse was driven not only by loss of face-toface contact with family and friends, but also the closure of community centres, libraries and community-based groups that provide opportunities for seeking help and socialising. As a result, many older people were frequently home alone with the perpetrator of their abuse. Perpetrators of elder abuse were typically family members—most often adult children—who found themselves grappling with job loss and social isolation during the pandemic. Fearful of contracting the virus, many older people or their carers cancelled in-home services, amplifying their isolation and impacting their health and wellbeing. With aged care facilities considered high-risk environments, options for respite were also minimal. It is this loss of socialisation opportunities, face-to-face appointments and in-home services that leads to invisibility. Elder abuse services rely on a network of formal and informal channels to identify abusive situations—a local government carer who notices something is not right, or the local pharmacist, or friends in a community group. Without these channels, the risk of elder abuse to go undetected and unreported increases.
One of the key lessons is the need to ensure older people possess the digital infrastructure and literacy to navigate the online world to seek help. While most of the population is now able to maintain virtual contact with family, friends, and health providers via online platforms, relatively few older people have laptops, stable internet, and the knowledge of how to use online spaces— especially those most vulnerable to elder abuse. By closing this divide and accommodating for those who are not able to access digital services, we can better protect vulnerable older people. More broadly, our local communities need to be set up so that there are people and places for isolated or vulnerable older individuals to go to—even in lockdown conditions. Libraries, sports centres or community halls are examples of places that could be re-purposed as a safe zone for older people to find information, support and physically (but not socially) distanced company. Finally, blanket restrictions on the provision of face-to-face services work against the interests of the most vulnerable— service providers need the ability to operate a flexible service response based on the client’s circumstances. There will always be situations where only a face-to-face appointment or in-home visit can meet the needs of an older person, particularly when there are sensory deficits, high risks of abuse, or complex casework involved. Aged care providers, especially home care providers, are encouraged to offer digital literacy programs as part of the suite of offerings, and aged care workers need access to further training in identifying elder abuse, and what to do about it. NARI has developed three short, online training videos to provide care workers with essential knowledge to identify and respond to elder abuse. By implementing these strategies, we will be better prepared for the next pandemic or similar crises, and better able to identify and stop elder abuse—protecting our older people both physically and emotionally. Bianca Brijnath is Director of Social Gerontology, National Ageing Research Institute, and Peter Feldman is Research Fellow, National Ageing Research Institute. For more information visit www.nari.net.au and www.nari.net.au/elder-abuse-and-dementia
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