1. Integrated Legal & Social Support in the context of Elder Abuse
Rebecca Edwards
Welcome page

2. Relationship of perpetrator to the older person
Analysis of data about people seeking help from Seniors Rights Victoria:
Relationship of perpetrator to the older person
Having just partnered with the National Ageing Research Institute to analyse our Helpline data from the previous two years, Seniors Rights Victoria was in prime position to illustrate elder abuse as a family violence issue.
Data showed that 92% of perpetrators were related to the older person including by marriage or as de facto partners, with two thirds of abuse being perpetrated by a son or daughter of the older person.
Seniors Rights Victoria’s submission urged the Royal Commission to pay attention to the largely hidden experiences of older people experiencing family violence, whether it be long-term intimate partner violence that continues into older age, intimate partner violence that begins to occur because a partner declines in cognitive abilities (for example, because of dementia) or abuse in any of its forms by an adult son or daughter against his or her mother or father.
However, given that the majority of our clients reported abuse from their son or daughter, the submission focused on older people experiencing intergenerational violence.
Source: National Ageing Research Institute in partnership with Seniors Rights Victoria

3. Some features of the model
Home visits (home, hospital, aged care setting or other “safe” location)
Client-centred approach
Risk assessment
Genuine integration of the two disciplines

4. Benefits
Identify social, health, accommodation, family problems quickly
Identify legal issues quickly
Holistic approach to client’s problems
Empowering the older person to take legal action
Access to justice can be facilitated
Identification of Law Reform issues
Development of trust (particularly of lawyer)

5. Example Lived in house for 30 years
Loan taken out for benefit of brother
House “sold” to nephew for value of loan (half the value of the house)

6. Example cont. Issue facing client when we met with her:
Notice of Vacate with only 2 weeks to run
No attempt to pack up / find alternate housing
Limited pension because of gifting rules
Debts
Abuse from family members
Possible breach of contract / equitable interest case
Possible breach of banking lending rules

7. Disadvantages / Challenges
Reticence to contact legal service ??
Reticence to take legal action
Individualistic approach v family centred approach
Competing professional responsibilities of lawyers v social workers
Confidentiality
Broader family
Who is the client? Individual v family unit
Capacity