As many as 4,000 Tasmanians over the age of 65 experience some form of physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse each year - usually in their own home.
Tasmania is the only state in Australia without a strategy to combat elder abuse or dedicated resources to support vulnerable Tasmanians experiencing this form of abuse.
The tragedy of elder abuse in Tasmania:
The incidence of emotional, physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse and neglect of older people in Tasmania has been documented by Advocacy Tasmania, Council on the Ageing Tasmania COTA (Tas), The Public Trustee and TasCOSS.
The TasCOSS research report, Safe as Houses, provides current evidence of a range of instances and forms of
abuse of elderly people in the Tasmanian community. The most prevalent form of elder abuse is financial abuse which is often accompanied by psychological abuse.
National expert Associate Professor Gerry Naughtin has estimated that there are approximately 3-4000 Tasmanians affected by elder abuse.
Older people, aged care workers and family members say that they do not know what to do when they are confronted by an incidence of elder abuse.
To view the Our Island Our Voices Statement on Elder Abuse click here.