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Barriers to Disclosing Elder Abuse and Taking Action in Australia

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Abstract

Elder abuse often goes unreported. Perpetrators of elder abuse are frequently the adult children of the victim and this relationship may contribute to the reluctance of older adults to seek help. This study aimed to understand older people’s experiences of elder abuse and the barriers to reporting it. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with clients of Seniors Rights Victoria (SRV) who had a case opened and closed between 2012 and 2015, or had made two or more calls to SRV between this period. Thematic analysis was undertaken of the qualitative data. Older people who are being abused by their adult children may be reticent to seek help due to fear of adverse consequences for their adult child. The parental bond frequently prevented participants from speaking to others, asking for help, or enacting the advice provided to them. Shame and stigma surrounding the reporting of elder abuse committed by adult children needs to be addressed. Older people need to be supported to take action earlier when there is less likelihood of adverse consequences. Policy and services need to recognize the unique characteristics of the parent-child relationship and the way they can affect an older person’s ability to seek help.

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Notes

  1. A client’s case may have been closed because the abuse ceased, the particular issue that had required SRV action was completed, or because the client did not want to pursue the matter.

  2. Only 1 participant requested an interpreter for the interview and 1 interview was conducted primarily in English and partially in the participants native language as the researcher was able to speak both languages.

  3. The research team consisted of social researchers with sociology and social work backgrounds and SRV staff. The team had a mix of ages, sexes, and ethnicities.

  4. Two participants were not sent the findings for confirmation – one due to safety concerns and the other as their address had changed and their whereabouts was unknown.

  5. An intervention order is also known as an “Apprehended violence Order” in Australia, an “Injunction” in England, Wales, and the United States of America, or an “Interdict” in Scotland.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants who kindly provided their time and input, the advisory group who provided guidance and feedback, and the staff of Seniors Rights Victoria who helped with recruitment. The authors declare no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise.

Funding

This study was funded by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation. The authors confirm that the funding body had no involvement in the research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Briony Dow, Luke Gahan, Ellen Gaffy & Freda Vrantsidis

  2. School of Global and Population Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Briony Dow

  3. School of Social Sciences and Humanities, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

    Luke Gahan

  4. School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

    Ellen Gaffy

  5. Seniors Rights Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

    Melanie Joosten

  6. School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

    Meaghan Jarred

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  1. Briony Dow
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  2. Luke Gahan
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  3. Ellen Gaffy
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  4. Melanie Joosten
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  5. Freda Vrantsidis
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  6. Meaghan Jarred
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Correspondence to Briony Dow.

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Dow, B., Gahan, L., Gaffy, E. et al. Barriers to Disclosing Elder Abuse and Taking Action in Australia. J Fam Viol 35, 853–861 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00084-w

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