National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) has been commissioned by the Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department to conduct a study of the nature of elder abuse and the extent to which it occurs among those in the Australian population aged 65 and over.

The study involves a survey of 7,000 people aged 65 and over who live in the community (i.e. those who are not in residential aged care settings). The survey will examine experiences of elder abuse among this population. As well as a survey of 3,500 people aged 18–64 years which will focus on knowledge of elder abuse, attitudes to older people and the extent to which participants in the survey provide assistance to older people.

Data will also be drawn from each survey to better understand the experiences of older Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) people in Australia. This aspect of the research will provide insight into the prevalence and characteristics of abuse of older CALD people, as well as the contexts in which the abuse occurs and how their experiences of abuse may differ from the general population.