Shining a light on Elder Abuse and Prevention: Learning and insights from an Elder Abuse Prevention Fund
By Amanda Hunter and Georgia Parslow
Abuse of older people (also known as elder abuse) in New Zealand is an understudied issue, and there is a lack of comprehensive research and public awareness regarding the mistreatment of older people. The abuse of older people (AOP), encompassing various forms of physical, emotional, financial, and psychological harm, and neglect, often remains hidden due to societal attitudes and the covert nature of abuse.
In 2022, the Office for Seniors provided eleven one-off grants of up to $25,000 through the Elder Abuse Prevention Fund (EAPF) to support programmes aimed at preventing the abuse of older people. The Ministry of Social Development commissioned Dovetail to review these initiatives, exploring practice-based insights to contribute to the broader knowledge base of elder abuse in New Zealand, including its scale, prevalence and presenting features.
Finding common threads between diverse initiatives
The EAPF initiatives were diverse, spanning a wide range of communities across the country. The project team reviewed documentation and conducted nine semi-structured interviews with staff involved in the planning and implementation of the EAPF-funded initiatives to gather high-level insights across each project.
Three projects were research focused:
A research initiative explored the contexts of discrimination on the lives of takatāpui1 and rainbow elders through a survey and a series of in-depth interviews
Research to understand the experiences of older people in the Chinese community and the Afghan community
A review the way that the interRAI needs assessment tool screens for potential abuse of older people.
Some projects focused on service delivery interventions:
A Senior Care Advocate role which provided one-on-one advocacy and support for older people with unmet needs and acted as a conduit to specialist agencies
Intensive support for older people with unmet needs in the community
Establishing a new space within an existing community centre where online conversations could be facilitated between older people and their loved ones.
Finally, three organisations focused on awareness raising and education initiatives:
A series of educational sessions for older individuals which were followed by a recreational activity to reinforce learning
Seminars with an in-depth focus on enduring power of attorney (EPOA) processes and the abuse of older people, followed by free EPOA drafting
Raising awareness of the abuse of older people in a one-on-one and a community-based setting, with a specific focus on financial abuse.
What we know is working well in the elder abuse prevention space…
Most projects successfully engaged older people in their communities to take up their services and participate in their research. Here is what we know about what is working well:
Well established and trusted relationships were key to the subsequent disclosure of abuse or general help seeking behaviour among older people.
Maintaining and emphasising confidentially, thoughtful service design and collaborative whānau-centred approaches were also beneficial.
Having skilled, diverse, and well-resourced staff were central to the success and safety of the initiatives.
But there have also been challenges…
By unearthing AOP, organisations are facing considerable demand in their communities and feel a responsibility to continue addressing these needs that are typically above and beyond what the funding could support. The nature of AOP itself contributes to this being a difficult space to work in. Complex family dynamics and the hidden and stigmatised nature of abuse means the work is labour intensive, time-consuming, and requires specific, specialist skills.
Where are we, and where to next?
Participants shared their knowledge about AOP and the broader sector challenges in addressing this issue in New Zealand. Through the process, several risk factors and drivers of abuse were identified, including social isolation and loneliness, poverty and housing insecurity, the limited capacity and heightened vulnerability of older people, the covert and hidden nature of abuse and the complexity of perpetrator intent.
Participants also identified systemic challenges that can make addressing AOP difficult. These include the broad definitions of abuse, limited reporting frameworks, a lack of safeguarding legislation, and insufficient research, statistics, and information sharing in the sector.
Importantly, participants in the review highlighted the value they gained from being able to initiate action through the EAPF. Their initiatives uncovered a substantial scale of need in this area. The EAPF-funded initiatives have made important contributions to older communities and a developing field of research in New Zealand.
We were privileged to be invited to gather insights in an underexplored yet critical area of social concern. Our deepest gratitude those who were involved in this mahi. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.
Amanda Hunter who led this work delivered a presentation on these findings at the New Zealand Association of Gerontology’s Navigating Aging Conference in Wellington. For further queries please contact amanda@dovetail.co.nz.
The full learning and insights review is published here