It is very hard to estimate the exact number of victims to elder abuse because defining who is “older” and what is abuse is problematic and additionally, due to the nature of the relationship between perpetrating carer and the victim, it is accepted that elder abuse is under reported (Moir Et al, 2017 p181).
To ensure the most appropriate and best preventative measures can be put in place, it is crucial that we have accurate and consistent parameters established to enable reliable and valid data collection. The majority of studies into elder abuse have defined “elder” as 60 or 65 and over while there is very limited research into “adults at risk” with no age limitations (Moir Et al, 2017 p181)
Age Cut-Offs are problematic for this field of research because there is no law which defines “elderly”. Current ways to operationalise ‘older’ within Australia include;
- Mature aged worker (45)
- Access to senior’s insurance (50)
- Access to superannuation (60)
- Access to senior’s care (60 or 65)
- Access to government pension (65)
- Access to aged care services (70)
It is however very important to note within the Australian context Aboriginal Australians experience a lower life expectancy as 40 – 45 is considered ‘older’.
The national research council argues that defining elderly as 65 is both over and under inclusive because there are many people over 65 who are not vulnerable and many people under 65 who are due to mental and physical disabilities, degenerative diseases and early onset dementia. In the past there have been reports of abuse from people as young as 40 who would not have been included in the definition of elder abuse (Moir Et al, 2017 p182) This is why we should move towards a model which focuses on adults at risk rather than drawing an arbitrary line in the sand which excludes people
Reference
Moir, E, Blundell, B, Clare, J, Clare, M, 2017, Best Practice for Eliminating Elder Abuse Prevalence in Australia: Moving towards the Dynamic Concept of “Adults at Risk” and away from Arbitrary Age Cut-Offs, Current Issues In Criminal Justice, Vol 29, No 2.
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Elder Abuse 