Who’s seeking help about elder abuse online?

When Compass recently surveyed people across Australia about their awareness of and access to elder abuse support, the findings were revealing. From behind the respondents’ widespread frustration with never-ending referral loops and persistent service gaps in regional areas emerged an often-overlooked demographic detail: nearly half of the respondents were aged 75 or older.

This fact reminds us that older Australians are looking for help online because that’s where information is most available. Compass has long been recognised as the national knowledge hub on tackling elder abuse, a resource for professionals, families, carers and older people alike. And the survey confirmed that wide user base: respondents included health and aged care workers, family members, friends, service providers and policymakers.

But when a significant percentage of your audience is 75 or older, the substance, design, tone and accessibility of resources require particular attention. Many Compass users are in the latter decades of their lives, some managing disability or long-term health conditions. A significant number are navigating the experience of abuse, or the fear of it, largely on their own.

A 35-year-old professional navigating a content-rich website is one thing. A 78-year-old woman trying to understand whether what is happening to her at the hands of a family member constitutes abuse – perhaps while managing a health condition, and with little digital experience – is something else entirely.

Elder abuse remains profoundly underreported. Shame, fear, family loyalty and cognitive barriers can all contribute to keeping it hidden; difficulty accessing information and appropriate support must make it worse. Yet thousands of older Australians are choosing – or trying – to empower themselves with information and to seek help to better understand, prevent and respond to abuse in all its forms.

Our challenge is to keep asking, keep listening and keep doing our best to continue to develop Compass as the quality, rights-based online resource, and one that is easy and rewarding for everyone to use. And we need the funding to make more Australians aware of Compass and the positive role it can play in tackling the abuse of older people more effectively.

Compass.info is a website created to help all of us better understand, prevent and respond to the complex issue of elder abuse.

Data sourced from the Compass Survey Report 2026. Compass is an initiative of Elder Abuse Action Australia, funded by the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department.