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Introduction
Elder abuse is a prevalent and increasingly recognised issue affecting older Victorians. It can take many forms, including financial, psychological, physical, sexual, social abuse, and neglect, and is often shaped by complex personal, relational, and structural factors.
Many sectors have a role, and often a regulatory or professional responsibility, in identifying, responding to, and preventing abuse within the scope of their work.
This toolkit has been developed to support practitioners to strengthen their awareness of elder abuse and build their capacity to respond in ways that are effective, respectful, and uphold the dignity, rights, and autonomy of older people.
For a deeper understanding of elder abuse, its drivers, risk factors, and practical approaches to prevention and response, readers are encouraged to refer to the resources in section 3.1.
Purpose of the toolkit
This toolkit aims to bridge the gap between concept and practice by offering practical resources that strengthen responses to elder abuse within aged care and support service contexts.
To support implementation, the toolkit includes action guides, checklists, flowcharts, sample policies, and a self-assessment tool that providers can use to review and strengthen their current practices. It also provides a brief overview of elder abuse in the context of aged care service delivery, highlighting key risks, barriers, and opportunities.
Audience and scope
This toolkit is primarily intended for those engaged in at home aged care, including management, coordinators, and frontline workers who support older people in their homes and communities. However, the guidance may also be relevant to other professionals whose roles bring them into direct contact with older people.
The toolkit is designed to be applicable across a range of service types funded for aged care and home support, including domestic assistance, social support, transport, home maintenance, and other in-home and community supports. It recognises that workers in these roles may observe changes in an older person’s circumstances, wellbeing, or relationships that could indicate risk.
Issue overview
Elder abuse is a significant yet under-recognised form of family violence across Australia and 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”.
Elder abuse can be intentional or unintentional. It may take financial, emotional, psychological, physical, sexual, neglect, or social forms and often involves patterns of coercive control. Harm can include behaviours and experiences such as verbal harassment, financial loss – including the loss of a home or personal belongings – deliberately inflicted physical injury, or poor health due to neglect.
Elder abuse is typically carried out by someone known to the older person, with two thirds of those causing abuse or mistreatment being an adult child. Elder abuse affects people of all genders and walks of life. The abuse, however, disproportionately affects women, older people from culturally and racially marginalised communities, those with disabilities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
For older people with diverse and intersecting identities, elder abuse may present in different ways. A range of factors may also mask abuse or create barriers to recognising it and seeking help. In this context, an intersectional approach can help workers identify these dynamics.