5. Planning for Life and Preparing for End of Life
Topic 5 of 6
Elder abuse
Elder abuse is when harm or distress is caused to an older person by someone who is in a relationship of trust – family, partner or carer. Across the globe, the rate of elder abuse is 1 in 6. In Australia, only 1 in 5 cases of elder abuse is recorded. The true number of cases may be far greater.
Move through the tabs to explore some examples of elder abuse.
Refusing to help pay for expenses while living in their home.
Stealing money or belongings.
Repeatedly telling them they have dementia.
Treating them like a child.
Threatening to stop seeing them.
Elder abuse can take various forms including financial, physical, psychological, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. No older person should be subjected to any form of abuse.
So what signs can you look out for?
See below to find out.
How do you spot signs of elder abuse?
Signs of abuse can be difficult to spot and people don’t report that they are suffering, particularly if the perpetrators are family or friends. There may be consequences that your elder will perhaps want to avoid.
There have been a few campaigns to help people understand that elder abuse can be hidden. The “Know the signs” campaign told us how to recognise the signs and behaviours (if we open our eyes!). It can be a change in routine, a key sentence, a bruise or someone feeling low. Go to the Resources page to watch the short YouTube, ‘Know the signs’.
The “Everybody’s Business” campaign was aimed at raising awareness of our responsibility as a community.
We don’t often like to ‘get involved’ but that’s why The Village (see Module one – Prepare to Care) is so important in caring and advocating for the wellbeing of our elders.
For support and advice on elder abuse go to Tasmania Legal Aid Senior Assist or call the Elder Abuse Helpline on 1800 441 169 – even if you’re not sure. Click this link to go to their website
Select each headings to learn more signs and behaviours to look out for.
- depression or low mood
- a feeling of helplessness
- a feeling of fear or loneliness
- disconnection from family or friends.
Financial abuse might be occurring where:
- large withdrawals or big changes in banking habits occur
- property is transferred when an elderly person is no longer able to manage their own financial affairs
- coercion or threats over assets or wills are made
- there’s an inability to find the money for basics such as food, clothing and transport
- abuse of powers of attorney occur
- belongings are missing.
Signs of neglect include:
- lack of basic hygiene
- missing medical aids such as hearing aids, walkers or medications
- unexplained weight loss
- unsafe living conditions such as lack of heating or plumbing.
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Some of the signs of social abuse may include:
- lack of interest in social contacts
- not attending a regular event such as church service
- suffering anxiety, fear, anger or low mood
- not speaking freely
- making up implausible stories about how an injury occurred
showing a decrease in happiness.
Physical abuse can be an obvious type of abuse to spot but loved ones need to use their best judgement in case your elder is protecting someone.
Look out for broken bones, burns, head injuries/concussions, bruises, welts, cuts, scrapes, or sores.
For additional signs of elder abuse to look out for go to ‘Spotting the signs of elder abuse’ in the resources section below.
Protecting against abuse
According to the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study, 15% of elderly people had experienced some form of elder abuse and the most common type was psychological abuse. Of these people only 36% sought help or advice.
The good news is that there are measures that can be taken to protect against elder abuse.
Select each heading to learn more.
Scams awareness
Being aware of scams is important for all of us. Online and phone scams have now taken this to a whole new level. Scammers are using our computers to impersonate trustworthy institutions like banks and the tax office. For an elder scams can have other consequences such as:
- Not wanting to answer the phone
- Becoming isolated due to fear
- Increasing anxiety and decreased modes of communication.
Select ‘Play’ to discover typical scams that can affect our elders.
Isolation and loneliness increase the vulnerability of our elders to romance scams.
People will use dating or friendship sites to convince your elder to empty their bank account and sell the house, the car, or forward the pension.
Investment scams are where you are promised big returns on little investment. Now it’s online with celebrities endorsing various schemes, often fake endorsements.
Service and product scams are when the scammer sets up a fake account online so it looks like you are paying the right person for the right thing, like Australia Post, but you’re not.
There are also unexpected money scams where you need to give your bank details to receive the lotto win you never bought a ticket for. It can be much more complex, but the details are always the same. For instance, they want to know what your passwords are.
One tip: their scam email addresses are random. They look like a typing error, or they have no relation to the organisation the email claims to be from. A general rule: if you are not expecting an email from this source, double-check, ask someone else to triple-check, then delete.
Lastly, threats are very common, where scammers pretend to be from an organisation and claim you need to pay money. They may threaten your elder with arrest, deportation, or even physical harm.
These are just a handful of examples. Being scammed could happen to any of us, and our elders may be reluctant to admit that it has happened to them.
There is a lot of guilt and shame attached to being scammed. That is often why the scam continues.
Admitting you have been a victim of this crime increases feelings of loss of control, loss of ability to think clearly, and loss of independence.
Protecting your elders from scams
Recognising a ‘scam’ can be difficult and in the moment people can feel pressured. The best protection is awareness, so talking about it with your loved ones is the first line of defence.
The National Anti-Scam Centre runs a program called Scamwatch. This program helps and supports anyone to detect and prevent scams. They have three words for prevention, ‘Stop’, ‘Think’ and ‘Protect’.
Select each heading below to explore these measures of prevention.
Scammers may appear to be from a reputable service and offer their help in verifying an elder’s identity or other details.
- Don’t give money or personal details to people or organisations – never over the phone or internet.
- If in doubt, get their name and phone number before getting in touch with the company they work for.
- By contacting the source you can verify who you are speaking to.
- Consider if a call or message you received is legitimate.
- If in doubt, for calls say no and hang up and for messages don’t click any links and delete it.
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- If something doesn’t feel right, act quickly.
- Remember banks and government agencies will never email or call you to ask for your account details.
- If you notice unusual activity in your banking accounts, notify your bank immediately. Every bank has a phone number to call if you suspect a scam. You can get the details of the scam-team at your elder’s bank, write it in large font, in red, laminate and put it next to the phone. And your own.
Avoid being phished
Phishing occurs when a person is tricked into clicking on a fraudulent link in a message or email and their details are stolen. This can result in financial loss, identity theft, and a variety of other serious consequences.
Select the headings to learn about the best actions to take in a situation like this.
If you or your loved ones receive any emails or texts from any institution you can contact that institution directly to ask if they have sent it. It is unlikely that a bank, the tax office or any other institution would send you a direct text or email. Let them know what has happened giving as much detail as possible. If you have the necessary skills, you can take a screenshot and send it to your bank or the relevant institution.
Before deleting the message remember to contact the organisation or bank in question directly. Once you have done this delete it. This will reduce the chance of you accidently clicking on the link and exposing yourself to a scam.
Remember, when in doubt – delete.
Contact Scamwatch and report it so that they can warn others. You can do this by visiting Report a scam on their website.
For more information about scams and how to recognise them, go to the resources section of the menu and select ‘Training and resources‘, ‘Free online safety presentations’ and ‘How to know if it’s a scam’.
Module 5
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MODULE 5
