5 minute read
Looking out for elders
Editorial: Danielle Ford
Photography: Jesse Wray-McCann
Senior Constable Kim McKeown is the first to admit most of her regular interactions with the seniors community in the Hume area are casual catch-ups — often over a cuppa — focused on building connections and sharing crime prevention tips.
But Sen Const McKeown, from Sunbury Proactive Policing Unit (PPU), knows these catch-ups can lead to far greater conversations down the track.
“I was recently asked to give a talk at a Country Women’s Association meeting on general crime prevention and about phone and online scams,” she said.
“When I was getting ready for the talk, I asked one of the organisers if they would mind if I spoke a bit about elder abuse at the end of the presentation and about the support available, whether through police or elders’ rights advocacy groups.”
Elder abuse is defined by the World Health Organisation 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.
Sen Const McKeown said while abuse could be physical, it’s most often neglect or in the form of financial, psychological or emotional abuse.
“Elder abuse can be a tough topic to talk to older people about, often because it’s committed by a family member, which can create shame and a hesitance to report it,” she said.
“And it can be difficult for older people, or people of any age, to take on information about such a personal crime theme if they don’t feel comfortable with, and respected by, the people talking to them about it.”
A Victorian Government report predicts that, by 2046, 25 per cent of Victorians will be aged 60 or older.
And, with Victorians living longer than ever before, making sure police are connected with the older community is increasingly important.
In recognition of this, Victoria Police has partnered with the aged care sector for a new initiative, Stronger Together, to help older people feel empowered to report elder abuse.
As part of the initiative, local police across the state, just like Sen Const McKeown, work with Victoria Police’s Priority and Safer Communities Division (PSCD), Family Violence Command, and Elder Rights Advocacy, to visit aged care facilities.
The initiative was launched as a pilot in October last year, with Sen Const McKeown and the Sunbury PPU approached by PSCD — which developed the initiative — to hold the first Stronger Together forum in the Hume Police Service Area (PSA).
“We already have great connections with aged care facilities and senior community groups in our area, but this initiative puts a formal process in place to make sure we are connecting with as many people as we can,” Sen Const McKeown said.
The forum included presentations from police and the aged care sector to educate staff and the broader community on the forms of abuse and what it involves, as well as providing advice on how people can seek help, including through the Victims Assistance Program (VAP).
VAP includes victim support services, access to counselling, and legal and financial support.
Sunbury resident Anne Fitzpatrick attended the forum and said the information provided was extremely valuable, not just for older people, but for aged care workers and community group volunteers.
Ms Fitzpatrick is a volunteer with the Sunbury Police Community Register, a group of 24 volunteers who keep in regular contact with more than 150 Hume PSA residents through fortnightly welfare checks for seniors living independently.
“For some older people, approaching police for any reason can be daunting, so having police and Elders Rights Advocacy at the forum and sharing all the different ways support can be accessed was great,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.
Victoria Police is the first force in Australia to partner with the aged care sector for an initiative like Stronger Together and PSCD is working towards holding forums for the aged care workforce and older people across the state.
“Stronger Together was developed in consultation with older Victorians across the state so that it could be designed to best address the issues of most importance to them,” PSCD Commander Jo Stafford said.
Cmdr Stafford said police see firsthand the impact of older members of the community being abused each year and these forums would help further the work already happening across the state.
“While police continue to respond to increasing rates of abuse of older people, it remains underreported,” Cmdr Stafford said.
“These forums and visits to aged care facilities are crucial in raising awareness about the problem and encouraging aged care workers to speak up and make a report so any suspected behaviour can be investigated.”
Sen Const McKeown recalls that, after her recent presentation at the Country Women’s Association, several women came up to her to talk specifically about the elder abuse information she had shared.
“Many of the examples and situations I mentioned resonated with a lot of the women, whether it was their own situation or friends of theirs, and many noted they weren’t aware of the support options available,” she said.
“Sadly, though, a couple of them said things along the lines of, ‘Oh well, it’s too late to do anything now’ and that’s the thinking we as police can help change.
“It’s never too late to come to us for assistance if you think you are the victim of any crime.”
If you, or someone you know, is a victim of abuse, you are encouraged to contact police or call the National Elder Abuse Phone Line.
NATIONAL ELDER ABUSE PHONE LINE
Call 1800 ELDERHelp (1800 353 374) to connect to a support service.
IN AN EMERGENCY
Call Triple Zero (000). If you can’t get to a phone, ask someone else to do it for you.
IN NON-URGENT CASES
If you know or suspect an older person is being abused and prefer to make an anonymous report, you can do so online via the Crime Stoppers Victoria website.
