Elder Abuse among Clients and Carers Referred to the Central Coast ACAT: a Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Objective: To examine elder abuse on the Central Coast of New South Wales by focusing on the prevalence, types of abuse, victim and abuser characteristics, recommended interventions and the identification of abuse at the time of referral for clients and carers referred to the Central Coast Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). Method: A descriptive study of elder abuse within the population referred to the Central Coast ACAT (Wyong and Gosford Local Government Areas, New South Wales) between November 1996 to November 1997. Clients were identified retrospectively from Area Health records for three months and prospectively for nine months. The methodology was derived from research conducted by Kurrle et al. in 1997. Results: The data indicated an elder abuse prevalence of 5.4%. The prevalence identified prospectively was more than double that identified retrospectively. Psychological abuse was the most common type of abuse. 75% of cases were identified as client abuse and 25% identified as carer abuse. The type of abuse and abuser characteristics differed markedly between cases where the client was abused and cases where the carer was abused. Differences in abuser characteristics were also apparent when comparing financial abuse cases with non‐financial abuse cases. Conclusion: These results in relation to prevalence and types of abuse are comparable to those found in previous Australian research based around ACAT populations. The study indicates that there are differences between cases where the client is abused and cases where the carer is abused and that differences also exist between cases of financial abuse and non‐financial abuse. The authors consider that an examination of these differences provides further insight into the complex and diverse nature of elder abuse. The study confirms elder abuse as a significant issue of concern and indicates the need for a coordinated response to the issue.