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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:49 pm
Time: 10:49 pm
Results for elder abuse (australia)
1 results foundAuthor: Clare, Mike Title: Examination of the Extent of Elder Abuse in Western Australia. A Qualitative and Quantitative Investigation of Existing Agency Policy, Service Responses and Recorded Data Summary: Elder abuse is a significant issue for the Western Australian community, as the population is ageing and the percentage of people over age 65 is increasing exponentially. This research examines the extent of elder abuse in Western Australia, synthesizing qualitative and quantitative information from organisations working with elder abuse in order to provide a coherent, consistent estimate of the scope of elder abuse in Western Australia and the capacity of agencies to address this issue. Funding for this research was received through a grant application made by Advocare Inc. to LotteryWest, and researchers from the Crime Research Centre at the University of Western Australia were employed to conduct the research. Fourteen interviews were conducted with professionals from 10 organisations that respond to elder abuse in Western Australia. These included a total of 26 people, as some wished to be interviewed jointly. Eight of the organisations form part of the Alliance for the Prevention of Elder Abuse: WA (APEA: WA); the other two organisations were the Older Person‟s Rights Service and the State Administration Tribunal, which also deal with elder abuse cases. Where possible, organisations also provided de-identified quantitative data in order to give insight into the volume and variety of elder abuse that each agency encounters. Two focus groups were also conducted with representatives from a variety of non-APEA: WA agencies that may come across elder abuse in their work; one comprised of three participants, the other of seven. Data analysis uncovered the following themes and issues: - There are problems with the definition of elder abuse that require further exploration. Different definitions are used nationally, internationally, and between the different APEA: WA organisations. Some include paid carers and people providing services, e.g. financial advisers. Others are narrowly focused, depending on an agency's service mandate and funding arrangements. The definition of "elder" is also contested, with different definitions based on different age limits. There are also questions raised about how elder abuse should be perceived and contextualised - should it be seen as a crime? As a private family issue? Also, where does domestic violence end and elder abuse begin? - Financial abuse was by far the most frequently mentioned type of abuse during the interviews and focus groups and it is also the most common type of abuse recorded in the agencies' quantitative data. Misuse of Enduring Powers of Attorney was the most frequently mentioned financial abuse issue, followed by the perceived responsibilities of Banks to increase protection of vulnerable older people's accounts. - Qualitative data showed indications of an overall trend for increased volume of cases involving older members of the Western Australian community. However, there was also a consistent degree of uncertainty about the relevance and quality of data provided. There is no uniformity in the way that statistics are gathered; therefore, it is not easy to collate information to gain a picture of what is occurring in relation to elder abuse in Western Australia. - There does not seem to be a cohesive approach to elder abuse across government and non-government organisations. A strong government department is required to take leadership of this issue and to develop a broad and articulate multi-level elder abuse strategy. There is also a need to develop a better first-level response to elder abuse, perhaps involving a multi-agency team approach. Other options to pressing charges against perpetrators or doing nothing need to be made available to people experiencing elder abuse, e.g. family counselling and mediation. - Elder abuse lags far behind child abuse and domestic violence in terms of public recognition and social responses. A public education campaign is required to promote the importance of this issue and alert people about older people's rights and assistance available. A number of recommendations were made to address the issues raised above, and these are listed in the following section. It has been noted that elder abuse research, policy and practice is about thirty years behind research, policy and practice in child abuse and domestic violence. Due to this fact, it tends to lack conceptual clarity and be poorly defined and measured. While a problematic concept, elder abuse is an issue of deepening concern in our ageing society and the challenge for government and welfare agencies is to ensure that there are adequate resources available to respond to it effectively. It is hoped that the results of this research will inform elder abuse prevention practices for a number of local agencies and allow key agencies working with elder abuse to improve their responses and address perceived gaps in current processes. Details: Crawley: Crime Research Centre, University of Western Australia, 2011. 123p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2014 at: http://www.law.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2129606/2011-Examination-of-the-Extent-of-Elder-Abuse-in-Western-Australia.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.law.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/2129606/2011-Examination-of-the-Extent-of-Elder-Abuse-in-Western-Australia.pdf Shelf Number: 132223 Keywords: Elder Abuse (Australia)Elderly VictimsFinancial Abuse |