15 June is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), an opportunity to stop and think about how we identify and respond to this global social issue and violation of human rights. It is also a day to understand more about the role we play in identifying and responding to elder abuse.
Elder abuse is a form of family violence and is often perpetrated by a family member or carer. It can often go unnoticed. The abuse may be psychological, physical, social, financial or sexual, and can include mistreatment and neglect. The World Health Organisation describes elder abuse as a violation of human rights and a significant cause of illness, loss of productivity, isolation and despair (WHO 2002 Active Ageing Policy Framework). A recent article in the Lancet quotes WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus who emphasised that some nations failure in “taking the deaths of the elderly or senior citizens (from COVID 19) as a serious issue is moral decay’. As such, it is an issue that affects not only the person who is impacted directly, but also the broader community.
The Monash Health 2020 Quality Assurance report into the Integrated Model of Care (IMOC) for Responding to Suspected Elder Abuse found 30% of referrals involved financial abuse and 32% experienced psychological abuse. This is consistent with Seniors Rights Victoria indicating that financial and psychological abuse are the most reported type of abuse.
At Monash Health, we remain committed to increasing employee understanding of how to recognise and respond to potential cases of elder abuse.
If clinicians at Monash Health are faced with potential signs of elder abuse or are concerned about someone in our care, they can contact Monash Health Elder Abuse Liaison Officer Selina Nivelle for advice and support on 0431 453 950 or Selina.Nivelle@monashhealth.org. Selina’s work includes:
- Supporting employees who work with older people experiencing abuse by offering consultations and advice.
- Supporting other agencies in our catchment – such as Baptcare, Orange Door, WAYYS, Community Health Centres, Local Councils.
- Assisting with how to talk to family members and victim survivors about their experience with abuse.
- Advising on complex cases.
The following resources are available to Monash Health employees:
- Monash Health Family Violence Clinical Guideline– Provides information on the signs of elder abuse and further details on the process of responding to suspected elder abuse.
- Family violence service list – Provides a comprehensive list of family violence services
- Seniors Rights Victoria website
- Elder Abuse Training via the Bouverie centre
- Better Place Australia – Offers a free counselling service for families.
Over the coming week we will bring you a series of videos produced by our partners, Southern Melbourne Primary Care Partnerships and the Respecting Seniors Network. It is hoped the videos will encourage all of us to respect the rights, autonomy and independence of older Australians. The series of videos aim to bring awareness to the issue by providing examples of real life situations in which elder abuse can occur.
Approved by Katrina Nankervis
Selina Nivelle, the Elder Abuse Coordinator at Monash