Working together to stem the rise in elder abuse
Among Australians aged 65 and older, one in six experience some form of abuse, with two-thirds suffering in silence1.
In Victoria alone, the number of family members over 65 affected by abuse has surged by 35% over the past four years, compared to just an 11% rise in the general population, according to the Victorian Crime Statistics database.
This growing problem is reflected in the high demand for Better Place Australia’s Elder Abuse Prevention Service, which currently has resulted in a waitlist of nearly 40 people and an average wait time of eight weeks.
Our service has also seen significant increases in cases of sexual assault, physical violence, and social abuse, and complex cases involving Risk Assessment Management Panel (RAMP) referrals, suicide, adolescent violence in the home (AVITH) and child protection issues.
BPA remains committed to protecting older Victorians from elder abuse, but rising demand for our services coupled with shrinking service capacity, requires urgent government support.
Challenges in meeting the rising demand
Since the defunding of the Integrated Model Of Care (IMOC) in 2023, BPA can only respond to elder abuse cases involving sexual or physical violence that have been reported to the authorities.
We’re no longer able to support community referrals for the silent majority of older Australians who are dealing with family conflict.
Additionally, only five in 18 Orange Door Hubs have specialty elder abuse specialised family violence services, limiting access for many older Victorians.
In July 2024, the Australian government launched a national campaign to raise awareness of elder abuse. While these conversations are vital, we’re concerned it could lead more people to seek our help when we lack the capacity to support them–including those in the LGBTI community.
Despite achieving our Rainbow Tick Accreditation this year and forming an LGBTI consumer advisory committee, our limited capacity means many older LGBTI individuals remain at risk, without enough safe spaces to seek help.
A path forward for supporting older Victorians
BPA continues to advocate to the State government for more accessible and appropriate support for older Victorians affected by family violence.
We recommend reintroducing the IMOC and increasing funding to expand BPA’s capacity, especially for at-risk groups currently unable to access services. BPA’s social work practice ideally draws upon referrals from Health and Community settings. The BPA practitioners focus on empowering clients to make informed decisions, ensuring that they have access to a broad range of services beyond just legal or immediate protection (e.g., financial counselling, and mental health support).
This funding should include wage indexation to attract and retain skilled staff trained in elder abuse, aged care systems, cognition decline, family violence, and trauma-informed practice.
We also propose a bifocal service model to support victims and offer pathways for those using violence, alongside a dedicated triage model to connect older people to appropriate services like aged care, financial counselling and legal aid.
BPA urges the expansion of specialty family violence services in all Orange Door Hubs and the development of an engagement model that addresses the barriers preventing older people from seeking help.
By tackling these challenges together, we can ensure that older Victorians in every community have the support and access they need to speciality services.
1The AIFS National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study 2021