Seminars in Ageing: Elder abuse and COVID-19: Prevalence, learnings, and preparedness for disasters

Elder abuse and COVID-19: Prevalence, learnings, and preparedness for disasters

Presenters: Dr Rae Kaspiew (Australian Institute of Family Studies) and Peter Feldman (NARI)

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About the presentation

Dr Kaspiew's presentation will outline findings from the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study which is based on a survey of a representative sample of 7,000 people aged 65 and over living in the community (ie they did not live in residential aged care settings) commissioned by the Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department. These findings provide estimates of how many people aged 65 and over have experienced elder abuse in the past 12 months. They also assess the most common forms of abuse, the characteristics of those who are most likely to experience abuse, who commits abuse and what people do when they experience abuse. 

Peter Feldman's presentation will examine how Victorian service providers have undertaken early intervention and response to elder abuse during COVID-19, and provides recommendations to improve sector preparedness for early intervention and response to elder abuse during disasters.

About the presenter

Dr Rae Kaspiew is a socio-legal researcher with particular expertise in family law, family violence and elder abuse. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Director (Research), she was Executive Manager of the Family Law, Family Violence and Elder Abuse research program at the Australian Institute of Family Studies. She has been involved in an extensive range of studies and is the lead author of two large scale evaluations of successive waves of reforms in family law (the 2006 and 2012 reforms). She led the team that completed the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study in 2021. Themes included in her work include the extent to which systems and services meet the needs of people affected by elder abuse and family violence.

Peter Feldman is a Research Fellow at NARI and highly experienced in evaluation and working with vulnerable populations. His previous experience include projects such as Older People at Risk of Homelessness; Seniors Staying Well at Home; Elder abuse in the context of dementia; Seven year trend analysis of elder abuse data; and a Report on integrated aged care to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

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Further information: [email protected]