Placeholder Content Image

Independent you: preventing, and recovering from, elder abuse

<p>From implementing safeguards to stop it from beginning to taking back control if it does, there is a lot of power in your hands to avoid elder abuse. </p> <p>Previously, we explored the warning signs of elder abuse and how <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/retirement-income/are-you-a-victim-of-elder-abuse-without-even-realising-it">it is possible to be a victim without even realising it</a>.</p> <p>And with more wealth owned by people over 60 now than ever before, the potential for abuse only continues to grow.</p> <p>So, how can you prevent elder abuse happening to you? And if you are already experiencing it, what can you do to regain control over your finances, independence and wellbeing? </p> <p><strong>Prevention better than cure</strong></p> <p>The best way to avoid the impacts of elder abuse is to protect yourself against it beginning in the first place.</p> <p>Awareness is the first step, so having <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/retirement-income/are-you-a-victim-of-elder-abuse-without-even-realising-it">read this article and knowing the warning signs</a>, you’re already ahead of the game!</p> <p>Other preventative actions include:</p> <ul> <li>Maintaining contact: social interactions are important not just for warding off loneliness but providing access to other points of view and avenues for support. </li> <li>External advisers: engage your own advisers – don’t simply employ who someone tells you to. They should be an impartial, qualified set of eyes to monitor things for you and point out anything that doesn’t seem right. This includes a financial advisor, lawyer, accountant, doctor and so on. A support person attending appointments with you may give you extra assurance.</li> <li>Power of attorney/guardianship: nominate multiple people, so that no one individual has all the say. It can be useful to include someone who is not a relative for impartiality, such as a trusted friend or your lawyer. </li> <li>Superannuation beneficiaries: super is separate from your will, but beneficiary nominations can only be spouse, child, dependent or interdependent otherwise it will go to you Will.  In your Will you can direct to other people or charities. Some beneficiaries lapse, so will need to be renewed.</li> <li>Wills: review your will to ensure it reflects YOUR wishes, not someone else’s. People can jostle over not only their own inheritance but may try to influence you to leave others out. </li> <li>Documenting everything: keep a written record, especially where money is concerned – such as acting as Bank of Mum and Dad for adult kids to purchase property. Outline how much is given, what if any interest/repayments are expected and when, and what happens if their relationship subsequently breaks down.</li> <li>Encouraging independence: people who have come to expect handouts can become abusive if those handouts stop or requests for more are denied. Support and encourage others, especially your kids, to be financially independent and self-sufficient.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Taking back control</strong></p> <p>Sadly, prevention is no longer an option for an <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/population-groups/older-people?xd_co_f=YjAzZDU4YTUtYzA5YS00YTNkLWJkNDQtNjdiZTM5ZmY5ZjQx#abuse">estimated 598,000 Australians</a> already experiencing elder abuse. However, it is still possible to break the cycle.</p> <p>Don’t be embarrassed or stick your head in the sand hoping things will improve. You have done nothing wrong. You are entitled to enjoy your retirement years.</p> <p>To take back control over your affairs, your wellbeing and your independence:</p> <ul> <li>Ensure your physical safety first and foremost.</li> <li>Seek medical attention for your physical and mental health (the latter is crucial for making good decisions around the other points on this list).</li> <li>Get support from another relative, close friend, neighbour, or other trusted person. Don’t be alone.</li> <li>Secure a roof over your head. Having a stable place to live gives you the security and focus to tackle other concerns.</li> <li>Freeze access to your money – bank accounts, credit cards etc. This will stop (further) unauthorised withdrawals or purchases being charged to you.</li> <li>Seek professional advice. Your financial adviser, tax accountant and lawyer will be able to guide you through protecting your home, money, guardianship and estate planning matters.</li> <li>Make informed changes. Don’t do anything rashly – make necessary changes once you have sought independent advice and considered your options. This may involve making changes to your power of attorney, will, superannuation, bank accounts, even your phone number in extreme cases.</li> <li>Consider counselling. Your abuser may not realise the severity of their actions. An independent counsellor may be able to help them see this and change their ways, and ultimately salvage your relationship.</li> </ul> <p>If you or someone you know is experiencing elder abuse, seek help straight away. Speak to a trusted relative or friend. Seek independent legal and financial advice about your affairs. Or call the government’s free elder abuse line on 1800 353 374. And if your life is in danger, call triple zero (000) immediately.</p> <p><strong><em>Helen Baker is a licensed Australian financial adviser and author of On Your Own Two Feet: The Essential Guide to Financial Independence for all Women. Helen is among the 1% of financial planners who hold a master’s degree in the field. Proceeds from book sales are donated to charities supporting disadvantaged women and children. Find out more at <a href="http://www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au/">www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au</a></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Disclaimer: The information in this article is of a general nature only and does not constitute personal financial or product advice. Any opinions or views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent those of people, institutions or organisations the owner may be associated with in a professional or personal capacity unless explicitly stated. Helen Baker is an authorised representative of BPW Partners Pty Ltd AFSL 548754.</em></strong></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Storytelling allows elders to transfer values and meaning to younger generations

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-ann-mccoll-704728">Mary Ann McColl</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queens-university-ontario-1154">Queen's University, Ontario</a></em></p> <p>If you spent time over the holidays with elderly relatives or friends, you may have heard many of the same stories repeated — perhaps stories you’d heard over the years, or even over the past few hours.</p> <p>Repeated storytelling can sometimes be unnerving for friends and families, raising concerns about a loved one’s potential cognitive decline, memory loss or perhaps even the onset of dementia.</p> <p><a href="https://tenstories.ca/">Our research</a> at Queen’s University suggests there is another way to think about repeated storytelling that makes it easier to listen and engage with the stories. We interviewed 20 middle-aged adults who felt they had heard the same stories over and over from their aging parent. We asked them to tell us those stories and we recorded and transcribed them.</p> <p>We used a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/14439881211248356">narrative inquiry approach</a> to discover that repeated storytelling is a key method for elders to communicate what they believe to be important to their children and loved ones. Narrative inquiry uses the text of stories as research data to explore how people create meaning in their lives.</p> <h2>Transmitting values</h2> <p>Based on nearly 200 collected stories, we found that there are approximately <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.13121">10 stories</a> that older parents repeatedly tell to their adult children.</p> <p>The hypothesis was that repeated storytelling was about inter-generational transmission of values. By exploring the themes of those repeated stories, we could uncover the meaning and messages elders were communicating to their loved ones.</p> <p>The ultimate purpose was to offer a new and more constructive way of thinking about stories that we’ve heard many times before, and that can be otherwise perceived as alarming.</p> <h2>Here’s what we have learned:</h2> <ol> <li> <p>There are typically just 10 stories that people tell repeatedly. While 10 is not a magic number, it does seem to be about the right number to capture the stories that are told over and over. Interviewees felt that a set of approximately 10 allowed them to do justice to their parent’s stories.</p> </li> <li> <p>Among our interviewees, a significant number of their parents’ stories – 87 per cent — took place when they were in their teens or twenties. A person’s second and third decades are a time when they make many of the decisions that shape the rest of their lives; a time when values are consolidated and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2013.863358">adult identity is formed</a></p> </li> <li> <p>What’s important about the 10 stories is not the factual details, but the lesson that was learned, or the value that was reinforced — values like loyalty toward friends, putting family first, maintaining a sense of humour even in hard times, getting an education, speaking up against injustice, and doing what’s right.</p> </li> <li> <p>Key themes in the stories reflected the significant events and prevailing values of the early to mid-20th century. Many of the stories revolved around the war, and both domestic and overseas experiences that were formative. Many of our interviewees heard stories about immigrating to Canada, starting out with very little, seeking a better life and working hard. Stories often reflected a more formal time when it was important to uphold standards, make a good impression, know one’s place and adhere to the rules.</p> </li> <li> <p>The stories elders tell appear to be curated for the individual receiving them. They would be different if told to another child, a spouse or a friend.</p> </li> </ol> <h2>Tips for listening</h2> <p>Our research offers some tips for listening to stories from elders:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Focus on just 10 stories. It can make the listening seem less overwhelming.</p> </li> <li> <p>Write them down. Writing challenges us to get the story straight.</p> </li> <li> <p>Notice your loved one’s role in the story, as the message is often contained in that role.</p> </li> <li> <p>Be attentive to feelings, sensations, tension and discomfort. These can be signals or clues to the meaning of a story.</p> </li> <li> <p>Finally, remember these stories are for you — selected and told in the context of your relationship with your loved one. As such, they are a gift from a loved one who is running out of time.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>The importance of receiving stories</h2> <p>Storytelling is an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20067">essential human process</a> and a universal experience associated with aging. Neuroscientists suggest that storytelling has practical survival value for individuals and communities, <a href="https://www.jonathangottschall.com/storytelling-animal">as well as social and psychological benefits</a>.</p> <p>It may be as powerful as medication or therapy for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1018">overcoming depression among elders</a>. Storytelling becomes especially important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2017.1396581">when people become aware of their mortality</a> — when they are ill, suffering or facing death.</p> <p>People don’t necessarily tell the same stories over and over again because they’re losing cognitive function, but because the stories are important, and they feel we need to know them. Telling stories repeatedly isn’t about forgetfulness or dementia. It’s an effort to share what’s important.</p> <p>Our hope is that by better understanding elderly storytelling, caregivers may be able to listen in a different way to those repeated stories and understand the messages they contain. Those 10 stories can help us to know our loved one at a deeper level and assist our parent or grandparent with an important developmental task of old age.</p> <p>This research offers a constructive way for caregivers to hear the repeated stories told by their aging parents, and to offer their loved one the gift of knowing they have been seen and heard.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197766/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-ann-mccoll-704728"><em>Mary Ann McColl</em></a><em>, Professor, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queens-university-ontario-1154">Queen's University, Ontario</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/storytelling-allows-elders-to-transfer-values-and-meaning-to-younger-generations-197766">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

Placeholder Content Image

With the strokes of a guitar solo, Joni Mitchell showed us how our female music elders are super punks

<p>The iconic Joni Mitchell’s recent surprise performance at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiluPSmAF8&amp;feature=youtu.be">2022 Newport Folk Festival</a> prompted a world-wide outpouring of love and respect. </p> <p>This was her first musical performance since suffering from a brain aneurysm in 2015 that left her unable to walk and talk. Last year, she spoke of having <a href="https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/joni-mitchell-addresses-health-issues-in-rare-speech-at-2021-kennedy-center-honors-3112447">polio as a child</a> as “a rehearsal for the rest of my life”. </p> <p>The tributes for Mitchell celebrated her triumph from illness to recovery, but they also paid homage to Mitchell’s career that has pivoted on protest. </p> <p>Mitchell is largely associated with folk scenes of the 60s and 70s. She has produced a prolific body of work, advocating for social change. As a committed activist she has spoken against environmental degradation, war, LGBTQI+ discrimination, and most recently, removed <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/29/22907696/joni-mitchell-spotify-joe-rogan-podcast-misinformation-covid-19">her music catalogue</a> from Spotify in a protest against anti-vaccine propaganda. </p> <p>Now, with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7wOdpxGctc">strokes of a guitar solo</a> she repositioned herself from folk hero to punk provocateur, defying the “permissible” ways older women “should” behave. </p> <p>In commanding public space and using one of the most traditionally masculinised expressions of popular music practice, she directly challenged the sorts of expectations many people have around gendered norms, particularly what women in their elder years look and sound like.</p> <h2>Not everyone gets to age on stage</h2> <p>Some of the most persistent social restrictions placed on women and gender diverse musicians are in relation to age. </p> <p>Ongoing expectations of older women are to be passive, quiet and very much in the background. They are rarely asked, or expected, to “take up space” in the same ways their male counterparts do. </p> <p>Whereas men step through phases of youthful experimentation into established music legends, there are tiresome obstacles for female and gender diverse people to do the same. </p> <p>And while exceptions are often exceptional, they are not plentiful.</p> <p>It’s not just age. Women have long been sidelined when it comes to acknowledging their skills on the electric guitar. Much like Mitchell.</p> <p>The electric guitar has been an important part of rock and punk genres. There is a symbiotic relationship between how these genres – and the instrumentation that defines them – have unwittingly become gendered. The electric guitar solo in particular has come to be associated with machismo: fast, loud, expert, brave. </p> <p>If you like to imagine a world where women don’t exist, google “best guitar solos ever”. </p> <p>A recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/02/opinion/grammys-rock-guitar-solo.html">New York Times article</a> suggested things are starting to change. Citing guitarists like Taja Cheek and Adrianne Lenker, the Times suggested the guitar solo has shifted from a macho institution into a display of vulnerability, a moment (perhaps many) of connectivity. </p> <p>Mitchell’s performance sits somewhere in this domain. </p> <p>For the hundreds of thousands of women and gender diverse guitarists world-wide, myself included, the electric guitar and the genres it is entwined with offer a cool, optional extra: to test the cultural norms of gender with other markers of identity like class, culture, sexuality and age, to blur ideas of what we should and shouldn’t do.</p> <h2>Australian women to the front</h2> <p>Australian women and gender diverse rock and punk musicians are often subject to a double act of erasure – missing from localised histories, and also from broader canons of contemporary music, which often remain persistently rooted in the traditions of the UK and the US.</p> <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55669013-my-rock-n-roll-friend">Tracey Thorn’s brilliant biography</a> of the Go-Between’s drummer Lindy Morrison is a love lettered homage that steps out the complex local, emotional, personal and structural ways that Australian women and gender diverse people are often omitted from cultural spaces. </p> <p>“We are patronised and then we vanish,” writes Thorn.</p> <p>The work of women and gender diverse artists is often compared to the glossy pedestal of the male creative genius.</p> <p>In this light, we don’t play right, we don’t look right, we don’t sound right. </p> <p>And then, somehow, we don’t age right. </p> <p>Other reasons are far more mundane. Women contribute around <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/blog/economics-blog/2019/Value-unpaid-work-care.html">13 hours more unpaid work</a> than men each week. </p> <p>Carrying plates overflowing with generous gifts of labour, the maintenance of a music practice – a largely underpaid endeavour – is often the first to fall by the wayside. </p> <p>Add to the mix ingrained social networks of knowledge sharing, and the dominance of men making decisions higher up the chain, and it is easy to see how women and gender diverse musicians stay submerged as men rise to the limited real estate of music elders. </p> <p>The problem isn’t so much about starting up. It’s about finding the time to keep up.</p> <h2>Our female and gender diverse music elders</h2> <p>There are so many Australian female and gender diverse music elders. Some are visible, but many ripple beneath the surface. </p> <p>Regardless of genre, in maintaining decades-long practice, they are the super punks whose legacy can be heard in venues across the country. </p> <p>The challenge now is to support the current crop of excellent musicians beyond the flushes of youth so that we have a more sustainable, textured and diverse Australian music culture. One where Mitchell’s defiance of expectations represents the status quo of how older women should and can be.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-the-strokes-of-a-guitar-solo-joni-mitchell-showed-us-how-our-female-music-elders-are-super-punks-188075" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

Placeholder Content Image

Prince William follows in royal elder’s footsteps

<p>Prince William is due to take a solo trip to two countries that while he has not visited yet, his parents and grandparents have.</p> <p>The royal heir is dutifully following in the footsteps of his father and Her Majesty who both visited Kuwait and Oman for their royal duties.</p> <p>According the royal’s website, Prince William’s time in both countries will be jampacked with engagements that are meant to “pay tribute to the historic ties Britain shares with Kuwait and Oman, and will highlight strong links and cooperation in many areas, including education, the environment, and defence”.</p> <p>So far, the Duke has paid a visit to Jahra Nature Reserve, where he learned from Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, director of Kuwait's environment public authority, about the environmental work being done in the area.</p> <p> "We have made a difference to the way we live. We've made sure when traveling here we only take our metal bottles with us. Lots of metal bottles," the royal said he examined bits of rubbish strewn on the floor, per the <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7748191/Prince-William-wages-war-plastic-bottles-views-piles-litter-Kuwait.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a></em>.</p> <p>"You see a plastic bottle and I'm like 'eugh!' Horrible, isn't it?"</p> <p>He also paid a visit to the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre, where the Duke learned about the institution's youth education programs.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see royal’s visiting the Middle East throughout the years.</p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Why it’s vital that we remember our elders

<p><em><strong>Husband-and-wife comedians and commentators Jeremy Elwood and Michele A'Court give their views.</strong></em></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Michelle A’Court</span></em></strong></p> <p>This week I will take my father's winter jackets and jerseys to the City Mission. My mother has lovingly washed and folded them. That's what she did for Dad for 62 years and she has taken great care with doing it for the last time.</p> <p>She has given me strict instructions to pass on to the good people at the Mission. These clothes are not to be sold. She wants no price tags pinned to his jumpers and coats. They are to be given, she says, to men sleeping rough, who could do with some layers between them and winter. It matters to her that men who have lived a very different life from my father can wear something that has been cared for.</p> <p>If you can find ways to be warm, there are things to love about winter. Like the oranges and camellias throwing their colour around on Route 27 between home and Rotorua last weekend. This is my favourite road, and the car is warm, and it's the day after my birthday, and I'm not at all bothered about being a year older. If I'm sad about anything it's that for the first time in I don't know how many years, there's no card with Dad's handwriting in it. He didn't ever write much, but he insisted on being the one to do it. "Love, Mother &amp; Father". He would have liked the drive.</p> <p>Sometimes in my car I listen to music, other times I'm tuned to the news. In one bulletin, there is five million dollars from our government to kick-start the next America's Cup campaign. In another, the Aged Care Association says rest homes need an injection of $10 million to stay afloat. The women at the heart of the industry deserve their newly won pay equity, a spokesperson says, but employers are struggling to cover the increase. As little from the government as $100,000 each to help rest homes transition would make all the difference. My father didn't make it to a rest home but I think of how much care he needed at the end, and worry again about the men who have lived a different life.</p> <p>More numbers in other bulletins - $26 million earned from food, beverage and accommodation for the Lions' tour, a welcome boost for local businesses. Some people are having a grand winter.</p> <p>The other story about the rugby was the apparent ignominy of a drawn final match, and therefore a drawn test series. Much chatter about the French ref, and some dissection of the rules. Disappointment and a sense that "not winning" is the same as "losing".</p> <p>And all I can think is that, really, coming equal would be a terrific thing.</p> <p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Jeremy Elwood</span></strong></em><br /> <br /> My first hospitality job was as a bartender in Dunedin. The neighbourhood the bar was in was home to a couple of hotels, band rehearsal spaces and three halfway houses. This was in the mid 1990s, the period in which the government was moving mental health treatment out of the old institutions, and towards a more community based approach, with wildly varying degrees of success. So as you can imagine, our clientele was equally varied.</p> <p>One regular was a man in his late 60s or early 70s, quite well dressed in a shabby chic, hand me down kind of way. He always came in mid-afternoon, carrying a briefcase. He would order a beer, sit down, and open that case to reveal it was completely filled with ballpoint pens, which he would meticulously, and silently, begin to count while he drank.</p> <p>He was harmless – most of the time. We quickly worked out, however, that he had a two-beer limit. As soon as a third went down, his personality would change in Jekyll and Hyde-like fashion. He would become abusive, start throwing things, and even try and reach over the bar to grab bottles. Needless to say, this only happened twice – once when I was working, and once when someone new, and unfamiliar with the situation, was on.</p> <p>We didn't ban him from the premises. It was painfully clear to all of the staff that his two beers were a weekly indulgence, and quite simply he had nowhere else to go. He was one of those faceless, forgotten men who have fallen off the radar of all but the carers, doctors and, so often, bartenders who come into contact with them. Or that's what I assumed.</p> <p>One day, however, he came in wearing a badge that read "World's Best Dad."</p> <p>It was Father's Day.</p> <p>The emotional punch floored me. To realise that this man, with his pens and his two drink maximum, was part of a family. Loved, remembered, and acknowledged.</p> <p>As are all the elderly men you see, or don't see, as they drift around the edges of our society. In a culture which idolises youth, it is vital that we remember the aged. The thing about youth is you grow out of it. Most of us will get old, and many of us won't have the benefits of financial security and good health as we do. Some will have family to support them, but many more will not, and as they age they will fade from the public consciousness like a decaying photograph, unless we all prevent that.  </p> <p>So to those who are working so tirelessly, and too often thanklessly, to keep these men warm, safe and remembered, thank you.</p> <p><em>Written by Jeremy Elwood and Michelle A’Court. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p>

Retirement Life

Placeholder Content Image

How to protect yourself (or someone else) from elder abuse

<p>Cases of psychological and financial abuse of elderly people are increasing and going undetected.</p> <p>But people are being encouraged to recognise the warning signs and seek help.</p> <p>Age Concern CEO Gail Gilbert deals first hand with elder abuse cases, and said almost 80 per cent of complaints are between family members and the ageing relative they are caring for.</p> <p>Most common forms of abuse are around psychological and financial care of people.</p> <p>"Double the number of older women are abused than older men. Women with poor support systems, cognitive impairment, socially isolated and in poor physical health are the most vulnerable to being abused," said Gilbert.</p> <p>She said people should understand that it is possible to detect abuse.</p> <p>"If friends or relatives notice changes in the older person's behaviour, without there being any known medical reason, it could be due to abuse.</p> <p>"Maybe you have noticed a person has stopped going to their social clubs, meeting friends, lost weight or declined in appearance, these also could be signs there could be a problem."</p> <p>Cases of financial abuse have risen where control has been taken from an elderly person when they are still able to look after themselves.</p> <p>Some elderly people may feel unable to ask for help because of the shame felt about a family member treating them poorly.</p> <p>Sometimes, if the alleged abuser is living in the same house, the victim does not want to rock the boat and so will only accept a very low level of help.</p> <p>But help is available in the form of Age Concern.</p> <p>Victims or others who suspect abuse is happening should report it, said Gilbert.</p> <p>"When carrying out an investigation our staff will work with the older person and gather as many of the details as possible."</p> <p>A plan of support is agreed to ensure the safety of the older person.</p> <p>It might include freezing bank accounts, changing pin numbers or changing bank signatories.</p> <p>Revoking an enduring power of attorney may be another option.</p> <p>"In some cases a trespass order may be filed. It really just depends on the individual circumstances, what type of abuse is alleged and how far the older person is prepared to go."said Gilbert.</p> <p>Age Concern is dedicated to people over 65 and deal first-hand with complaints with reports.</p> <p>Written by <span>Mike Bain</span>. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz. </strong></span></a></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2017/02/how-your-social-network-help-your-health/">How your social network help your health</a></strong></em></span> </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2017/02/old-fashioned-things-lifes-expensive-without/">8 old-fashioned things that life's more expensive without</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2017/02/5-travel-experiences/">5 travel experiences for $10 or less</a></strong></em></span></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Signs your elderly loved one is suffering abuse or neglect

<p>No one wants to imagine that their elderly loved one would ever suffer abuse or neglect by the person designated specifically to care for them, but the sad fact is that it does happen. The <a href="https://aifs.gov.au/publications/family-matters/issue-37/abuse-and-neglect-older-people" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Australian Institute of Family Studies</span></strong></a> has reported that up to five per cent of people aged 65 and over have experienced some form of elder abuse.</p> <p>So, how can you tell if a loved one is being mistreated by a carer? The World Health Organisation defines elder abuse as “a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.” It varies from person to person, but typically the following signs should raise some red flags.</p> <p><strong>Patient signs:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Poor hygiene</li> <li>Malnutrition or dehydration</li> <li>Dirty living conditions</li> <li>Unexplained injuries</li> <li>Lack of proper care for injuries</li> <li>Depression and withdrawal</li> <li>Anger and irritation</li> <li>Confusion</li> <li>Sunken or discoloured eyes and cheeks</li> <li>Missing personal items</li> </ul> <p><strong>Carer signs:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Unwilling to allow visitors to see the patient</li> <li>Aggression and lack of affection towards the patient</li> <li>History of mental illness, criminal activity, violence or drug use</li> <li>Conflicting accounts of how a patient sustained an injury</li> </ul> <p>If any of these signs are ringing a bell, it could be time to intervene. Thankfully, each state, territory and New Zealand has a designated organisation to provide information, resources and help to those affected by elder abuse.</p> <p><strong>ACT</strong>: Older Persons Abuse Prevention Referral and Information Line, 02 6205 3535</p> <p><strong>NSW</strong>: NSW Elder Abuse Helpline, 1800 628 221</p> <p><strong>NT</strong>: Northern Territory Police, 131 444</p> <p><strong>QLD</strong>: Elder Abuse Prevention Unit, 1300 651 192</p> <p><strong>SA</strong>: Aged Rights Advocacy Service and Alliance for the Protection of Elder Abuse, 08 8232 5377 (Adelaide), 1800 700 600 (rural)</p> <p><strong>TAS</strong>: Tasmanian Elder Abuse Helpline, 1800 441 169</p> <p><strong>VIC</strong>: Seniors Rights Victoria, 1300 368 821</p> <p><strong>WA</strong>: Advocare Inc., 1300 724 679 (Perth), 1800 655 566 (rural)</p> <p><strong>NZ</strong>: <a href="https://www.ageconcern.org.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Click here</span></strong></a> to visit the Age Concern website</p> <p><em>Source: Advocare</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/04/why-men-dont-go-to-doctor/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Why won’t my husband see the doctor?</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/04/why-women-need-other-women/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Why women need other women</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/03/care-options-for-elderly-loved-ones/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The best-kept secret for caring for older loved ones</span></em></strong></a></p>

Caring