What happens when relationships with friends and family go wrong?

Intergenerational misunderstandings and conflicting expectations are common to all families; however, ECCV consultation indicates the process of migration can exacerbate this issue. Typically the older generation are less likely to adapt to the newer Australian culture due to language and cultural barriers and may fear losing their identity, so can idealise traditional values and practices. The younger generation in contrast, tend to be future-orientated and more adaptive to the dominant cultural values of contemporary Australia.

This community resource kit on elder abuse prevention provides the information to deliver talks and facilitate discussions to groups of older seniors from migrant backgrounds in the community. It includes notes for talks delivered without technology and notes on facilitating open discussion with groups based on three narratives.

The resource kit has been designed to support bilingual, bicultural professionals to deliver community education in the first language of the participants. It is important that the educators have an understanding of abuse of older persons and are connected with an agency that has expertise in elder abuse, such as Senior Rights Victoria and/or relevant ethnic welfare organisations.

The kit includes some basic information on facilitation. It doesn’t provide notes or resources on peer education, public speaking or adult learning principles. It is assumed that the speakers have completed the bilingual education professional development, delivered by Seniors Rights Victoria and the ECCV, which covers these topics and additional information on elder abuse and services available.

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