Royal Commission recommendations recognise elder abuse
Aged care organisations and advocates have welcomed the release of the Royal Commission into Family Violence report which includes a chapter on elder abuse and recommendations that will benefit older people.
Benetas chief executive officer Sandra Hills says the report’s focus on elder abuse is important, and acknowledges the vulnerability of older people in the community.
“This report is a timely and important reminder that unfortunately elder abuse continues to exist in our community and can have devastating consequences,” Ms Hills says.
“Contributing factors such as a reluctance to report instances of elder abuse and issues around ageism in our community make this a highly complex issue.”
Amongst the reports 227 recommendations, there are calls for all care workers to undertake elder abuse training and for all certificate level aged care courses to include a mandatory unit on responding to abuse.
The Commission also calls for Victorian public hospitals to implement a whole-of-hospital model for responding to family violence, drawing on evaluated approaches in Victoria and elsewhere within three to five years.
“Recognising that people experiencing elder abuse often seek health care, but require a more comprehensive response, including legal support, a whole-of-hospital approach allows better co-ordination of services designed to help older people experiencing family violence,” says Lauren Adamson, manager and principal lawyer of Justice Connect Seniors Law, a pro bono legal service supporting disadvantaged and older clients.
Seniors Rights Victoria’s manager, Jenny Blakey highlights the whole report contains recommendations that will benefit older people such as the importance of developing a restorative justice pilot program and ensuring public awareness campaigns, behaviour change programs and respectful relationships curricula in schools address inter-generational violence and ageism.
“The report also advocates reviewing the Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF), improving accommodation options for survivors, rolling out St Vincent’s Hospital’s elder abuse model of care state-wide and including elder abuse data in the proposed Victorian Family Violence Index. All these proposals will be of great benefit for people who may or do experience elder abuse,” Ms Blackey says.
In addition, the Royal Commission’s report recommends more information on elder abuse for older people, the trialling of a Victoria Police elder abuse response team and more funding for Seniors Rights Victoria to provide expert training to the broader family violence sector.
