Covid creating ‘perfect storm’ for elder abuse, commissioner warns

The number of cases reported to the Queensland government-funded elder abuse helpline jumped by 40 per cent within a year, including financila. physical and financial abuse.

The country’s age discrimination commissioner has warned the Covid-19 pandemic has created the “perfect storm” for elder abuse to flourish, amid new figures that reveal reports are on the rise.

The Sunday Mail can reveal cases reported to the Queensland government-funded elder abuse helpline jumped by 40 per cent within a year – while all calls, including inquiries, increased by 27 per cent.

In the 12 months to March 31, Queensland’s Elder Abuse Prevention Unit fielded about 3,431 calls – up from the 2684 calls made in the 12 months before that.

There was a 30 per cent increase in financial abuse cases, a 42 per cent jump in psychological abuse cases and 46 per cent hike in neglect case numbers. Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner Kay Patterson said the Covid-19 pandemic had provided the “perfect storm” for elder abuse to flourish, while also making it harder to identify hidden abuse.

In the 12 months to March 31, Queensland’s Elder Abuse Prevention Unit fielded about 3,431 calls – up from the 2684 calls made in the 12 months before that. Picture: Istock

She said she had heard accounts of family members taking advantage of the pandemic to limit an older person’s access to the community, services and finances in ways that went beyond public health advice and restrictions.

“This can include things like pressuring elderly family members to change their wills, the misuse of powers of attorney, older people having their aged care packages cancelled and their GP visits limited – all under the guise of ‘keeping them safe’ during the pandemic,” Dr Patterson said.

“I have also heard examples of older people moving into homes with their children thinking that they will look after them during the pandemic, only to find that they are being shut away by their family, forced to live, eat and sleep in the one room.”

She said lawyers had also reported an increase in demand for wills, advanced care directives and enduring documents during the pandemic.

“A key risk factor for financial elder abuse is an increase in financial pressures on the children of older people, such as rising housing costs leading to so-called ‘inheritance impatience’,” Dr Patterson said.

“COVID-19 may be exacerbating these pressures.”

Lawyers have reported an increase in demand for wills, advanced care directives and enduring documents during the pandemic.

Queensland’s Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) opened 316 investigations in 2020-21 that related to adults aged 65 or over with impaired decision making capacity – an increase from 294 the year before.

Public Guardian, Shayna Smith, said the OPG could not definitively say if the pandemic had led to an increase in the number of allegations received by the office.

But she said information from financial institutions suggested there had been an increase in financial elder abuse over the past 12 months.

“Additionally, during our investigations, the OPG has seen various instances where a respondent has attributed their misappropriation of an elderly adult’s funds to their own loss of income during the pandemic,” she said.

“The OPG has also noted impacts on the level of care some adults have been receiving during the pandemic, likely due to restricted access to support services.”

Queensland Minister for Seniors Craig Crawford also said the government couldn’t yet say for sure why there had been an apparent increase in abuse notifications to the elder abuse helpline.

“Reasons may include awareness raising campaigns, and different circumstances over the 12 months,” he said.

“For example the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have impacted peoples’ experiences of abuse and the propensity to report it.”

Mr Crawford pointed out the pandemic had driven the social isolation of some seniors.

“This may have made them more susceptible to elder abuse. Conversely, experiencing elder abuse can also lead to an older person becoming socially isolated,” he said.

Queensland’s elder abuse prevention unit: 1300 651 192

CASES REPORTED TO QUEENSLAND’S ELDER ABUSE PREVENTION UNIT

APRIL 2020 TO MARCH 2021

Financial cases: 1407

Neglect cases: 418

Psychological cases: 1714

April 2019 to March 2020

Financial cases: 1081

Neglect cases: 296

Psychological cases: 1199