Aged care not an option for ‘abuse’ victims
Older survivors of institutionalised child sexual abuse are so haunted by their past, going into aged care homes is not an option, Commissioner Helen Milroy says.
Older survivors of institutionalised child sexual abuse are so haunted by their past, going into aged care homes is reportedly not an option.
Professor Milroy says the recent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has highlighted the risk of people taking their own lives if they need to enter an aged care facility, particularly those who were in large orphanages as children.
“A lot of people have said with us they will not go back into care, they cannot go back into care and they do not see that as an option for them,” Professor Milroy told a victimology conference in Perth on Monday.
The majority of people the commission spoke to had post-traumatic stress disorder and often suffered from hypervigilance and intrusive memories.
In particular, these symptoms can be difficult to treat once when people became cognitively impaired.
“I wonder whether in our aged care services we understand the impact of early childhood trauma – particularly if it's been undisclosed – in later life,” Professor Milroy says.
The reluctance to enter residential aged care is also felt by those who had received “good” treatment and care.
“The one universal thing everyone has told us is that it never goes away, you can't forget, it's always there with you throughout your life,” she says.
Nearly 4,000 people have told their experiences to the Royal Commission, with a total of 10,000 survivors expected to speak before it is scheduled to end in December 2017.
*Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
