This short article discusses how the risk of elder abuse may be heightened in rural and remote communities and proposes some ways to address this.
In Australia, elder abuse policy and service responses currently have little focus on the particular challenges facing rural and remote communities. Yet evidence suggests that geographic isolation and other factors affecting these communities may heighten older people’s vulnerability to abuse. In this short article, we draw on our recent literature review(link is external) to summarise how elder abuse can be addressed in rural and remote locations.
Elder abuse is generally defined 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’ (World Health Organization, 2002). It may include financial, psychological, social, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect.
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