Guides: Aged Care: Elder Abuse

eBooks - Elder Abuse

Ageing matters (2020) Older people make up a significant proportion of Australia's population - over 1 in 7 people are aged 65 and over. Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world, however the success of our collective ageing has revealed a range of challenges and evidence of failures in how we treat older people
Elder Abuse and Nursing : What Nurses Need to Know and Can Do about It (2017) The only text about elder abuse specifically for nurses in clinical settings. Nurses are required by law to report elder abuse even when it is suspected but not verified. This is the only research-based and clinically oriented textthat applies what is known about different forms of elder abuse in domestic and long-term care settings to the everyday experiences of practicing nurses.Content not only addresses legal and ethical concerns, but also serves as an essential guide to caring for older adults, delineating the role of nurses indetecting, suspecting, reporting, assessing, intervening for, and preventing elder abuse in all clinical settings.

Physical Books in the Library - Elder Abuse

Ebersole and Hess' Toward Healthy Aging (2015) Elder Mistreatment Chapt. 31, Part 5 pp. 419-426
Individual support : ageing (2022) COURSE RESERVE - In Library use - Chapter 14. Responding to signs of abuse and neglect
Patient and Person: Interpersonal skills in nursing. 7th Edition (2021) Online scenario-based videos to demonstrate the use of specific skills. Includes empathy, dealing with challenging behaviours, advocating for a patient and admitting a patient. Learn to build trusting relationships and support patients in their health journey. Narratives and stories to explain practical application of theoretical concepts. Forty-two learning activities to enable students to understand the content and practise skills in a focused manner. Person-centred approach throughout. Elsevier Adaptive Quizzing for Patient and Person

Articles - Elder Abuse

Burnt, stepped on, and left in bed to rot (2021) Dik, Brian and Vera’s families paid top dollar for them to live at a “lovely” nursing home, but damning reports from the aged care regulator and allegations by a group of trainee nurses tell another story- WA
Elder Abuse Awareness Campaign Shines a Light into the Shadows (2017) Elder abuse has yet to find its way into our discourse to the same degree as spousal or child abuse. Domestic violence awareness campaigns have demonstrated that the key to dealing with widespread social issues is to create a safe and respectful environment to talk about it.
Elder Abuse in Australia (2020) This article provides a brief overview of the issues raised by elder abuse in Australia.
Elder Care and Community Amnesia (2020) This article looks at how nursing dementia patients have changed over the decades.
Hospital Staff Failed to Provide Care to Elderly Patient who Died from Severe Bedsore (2018) This ABC news story reports on the death of an elderly dementia patient who died from a severe bedsore he developed while in hospital care.
What is Elder Abuse? Australian Law Reform Commission (2016) The Australian Government's definition of elder abuse.

Online Videos - Elder Abuse

Elder Abuse (2016) Elder abuse in a nursing home.
Elder Abuse: What Every Cop and Social Worker Needs to Know (2023) When elderly people are the victims of whatever crime, we have to, as an investigator and as a whole agency, make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep their dignity intact. I had a situation where my elderly victim was absolutely articulate and forthcoming with information until we brought in that caregiver who turned out to be the abuser.
Financial elder abuse don't ignore the red flags – WA Department of Justice [2024] The World Health Organisation defines elder abuse 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’
Financial Elder Abuse Prevention – WA Department of Justice [2024] Discusses people in the community that may use elder abuse as a means of accessing money of the older person.
Four Corners: In Our Care (2014) CC - Elder Abuse - As one person employed by the organisation explains, there were two aspects to the abuse. One involved the assaults and harassment, the other was the failure to act on the warnings and complaints.
Four Corners: Who Cares - Part One (2018) A special two-part investigation of the failings in aged care.
Four Corners: Who Cares - Part Two (2018) A special two-part investigation of the failings in aged care.
Nursing Assistant: Abuse and Neglect (2021) FOD 2016, This program is designed to provide a basic understanding of resident rights. It discusses the right to privacy and free choice, personal possessions and protection of personal funds, access and visitation, grievances and notification of changes, the right to be free of abuse and neglect, and the right to quality care. It also looks at the role of the CNA in assisting residents in activities of daily living.
Nursing home staff throw and racially abuse elderly patient (2018) Family of Hussein Younes is suing Autumnwood nursing home in Livonia, Michigan, over elder abuse which they say was partly racially motivated.
Recognising & Reponding to Elder Abuse in Residential Care Settings 2 (I2015) How elder abuse presents.
Shocking footage of restrained aged care residents prompts new regulations (2019) Imagine you discovered your parents, or grandparents, were being tied to chairs for 14 hours, or were being drugged without record to keep them under control in their aged care home. These people discovered just that, and their speaking out has prompted the federal government to announce new regulations to try and control the practise.
Understanding the financial impacts of mental illness – WA Department of Justice [2024] Explains mental illness and how the public trustee can help with finances that are beyond the illness scope that cause financial hardships. Other videos in the series Financial Elder Abuse COMPASS - Guiding Action on Elder Abuse Financial Elder Abuse Prevention (Video) Financial Elder Abuse - Don't ignore the red flags (Video)

Websites - Elder Abuse

Aged Rights Advocacy Service (2020) The Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) offers a free, confidential and state-wide service to older people, or their representatives, who are: living in residential aged care receiving Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) or Home Care Package (HCP) services at risk of, or experiencing abuse from family or friends living in a retirement village.
Alliance for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (2020) Creating AWARENESS of and PROMOTING APPROPRIATE RESPONSES to issues of elder abuse.
Elder Abuse - Australian Human Rights Commission Elder abuse has been 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 take various forms, including: financial, physical, psychological, emotional and sexual abuse, or neglect. No older person should be subjected to any form of abuse.
Elder Abuse - Legal Aid If you are an older person who is being harmed by the actions of someone else, such as a family member, friend, neighbour or carer, you may be experiencing elder abuse. Elder abuse is wrong. In some cases it may be a criminal offence.
Elder abuse prevention toolkit - NSW The toolkit supports a consistent approach to identifying, responding and preventing the abuse of older people. Each of the 5 steps has practical information and tools which guide staff from identification of elder abuse, through to response.
Elder Abuse Understanding Issues, Frameworks and Responses (2018) Fundamentally a human rights issue, responses to the management and prevention of elder abuse sit within a range of complex policy and practice structures across different levels of government, and various justice system frameworks within the private sector and across non-government organisations.
Family Matters - Elder Abuse (2016) AIFS produces - record of high-quality, responsive and impartial research into the wellbeing of Australian families
OPAN - Older Persons Advocacy Network Older Persons Advocacy Network organisations offer free aged care advocacy services that are independent and confidential
Preventing elder abuse (Victorian Govt) The department is trialling an integrated model of care for responding to suspected elder abuse at five Victorian health services. The department is also funding four initiatives to prevent elder abuse, including elder abuse prevention networks and resources for carers.
Serious Incident Response Scheme (Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission) The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is an initiative that helps prevent and reduce incidents of abuse and neglect in residential aged care services subsidised by the Australian Government. It commenced in April 2021.
Stop Elder Abuse - Campaign and Community Awareness(2020) Learn about elder abuse prevention - ways for you or someone you know to prevent elder abuse. Help Stop Elder Abuse – get involved and use the resources below to spread this important message through your community, organisations and networks. Recognise Elder Abuse – learn about the types of abuse and to recognise the signs Speak up if you suspect elder abuse is occurring.
What is Elder Abuse - Elder Prevention Unit QLD Elder abuse is anything that might be cause harm or distress to an older person. While the term elder abuse can be used to describe lots of different issues and situations, the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines it 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.
What is Elder Abuse? Relationships Australia (2023) Elder abuse can take many different forms. The most common forms of elder abuse are financial abuse and neglect.

Associations - Elder Abuse

ADACAS Advocacy Peak Organisations for Older Persons. Lists associations available to help.
Advocare Incorporated - WA Advocare Incorporated (Advocare) is an independent, community based, not for profit organisation that supports and protects the rights of older people and people with disabilities.
Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) Aged Rights Advocacy Service (ARAS) has been supporting older people in South Australia to uphold their aged care and human rights for over 25 years. ARAS is the South Australian member of the Commonwealth funded Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN). ARAS advocates can assist you or an older person you know to access and interact with community or residential aged care service providers. Topics included Abuse Prevention - Aboriginal Advocacy
Elder Abuse Prevention Unit - QLD Promoting the right of all older people to live free from abuse.
NSW Ageing and Disability Commission We promote the rights of older people and adults with disability to live free from abuse in their family, home and community.