Elder abuse systems failing victims as coercive control goes unnoticed

Older Australians are facing hidden and often unrecognised forms of coercive control, with new research showing that systems meant to protect them are sometimes being used to manipulate or isolate them instead.

The findings, released to coincide with today’s UN World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, highlight growing concern that the nation’s current laws and reporting pathways are failing some of the country’s most vulnerable people.

Defined by the Australian government as a pattern of abusive behaviour designed to instil fear and strip a person of independence, coercive control is widely associated with intimate partner violence.

However, researchers from Central Queensland University (CQU), Charles Sturt University and the Three Rivers Department of Rural Health say it also plays a significant role in elder abuse perpetrated by carers, paid helpers, friends or community members.