Abuse and mistreatment of older people is more common than many Australians realise and too often, it goes unseen. Elder abuse remains under-recognised and poorly addressed across Australia’s legal, health and social systems. A new report from the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC) brings together evidence, expert insight and lived experience to identify where change is most urgently needed.
Addressing elder abuse through research, policy and partnership
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The report draws on discussions held during UARC’s 2025 Law, Policy and Research Exchange Forum on Elder Abuse and the Mistreatment of Older People. The Forum brought together UTS researchers with government agencies, legal practitioners, aged care providers, advocacy organisations and community services to shine a light on why elder abuse is still slipping through the cracks, and what needs to change, especially in Australia’s legislative frameworks to prevent it.
Abuse doesn’t always look like abuse
When people hear the term “elder abuse”, they often think of obvious physical harm. But the reality is far more complex. For many older Australians, abuse takes quieter forms: financial control by a family member, pressure to hand over decision-making, social isolation, neglect, or coercive control hidden behind what seems an otherwise caring relationship.
In later life, abuse can happen inside families, through dependence, stress or control, and exacerbated by inheritance impatience, or housing and employment instability to name a few.
“These situations are often missed because they don’t fit the stereotypes people expect,” said Dr Teresa Somes, Co-Lead of UARC’s Law, Regulation and Ethics theme.
“In later life, abuse can happen inside families, through dependence, stress or control, and exacerbated by inheritance impatience, or housing and employment instability to name a few.”
Key findings
Ageism was identified as a central and often invisible driver of mistreatment, influencing how older people are perceived, the seriousness with which harm is treated and the autonomy afforded to them across systems.
Ageism makes abuse harder to recognise and respond to. Older people are frequently spoken about, rather than with. Their concerns may be minimised, their autonomy questioned, or their experiences dismissed as part of ageing.
These assumptions can affect how seriously reports are taken by professionals across health, aged care, policing and financial services and whether help arrives early or too late.
Domestic and family violence in later life also emerged as an issue, with patterns of abuse that are not well captured by existing domestic and family violence frameworks.
The report identifies significant concern about the misuse of Enduring Power of Attorney, gaps in supported decision-making and the lack of nationally consistent safeguards.
Stakeholders also identified that responses to elder abuse are crisis driven, with limited early intervention pathways to address harm before it escalates.
Fragmented service systems are another barrier to effective action, with older people often required to navigate disconnected health, legal, aged care and social service pathways. Because these systems don’t always communicate well with each other, warning signs can be missed and responsibility blurred.
As people navigate various services associated with ageing, they encounter many people who either don’t recognise the warning signs that abuse may be occurring, or assume it is not their responsibility to act.
Too often, abuse is implicitly tolerated, including by the person being abused.
“A lack of awareness of rights, or a willingness to tolerate abuse in the name of 'family harmony' often means these situations are missed,” Teresa explained.
“As people navigate various services associated with ageing, they encounter many people who either don’t recognise the warning signs that abuse may be occurring, or assume it is not their responsibility to act.”
Participants at the forum also raised concerns of cases where serious harm including neglect leading to death was able to be misclassified as deaths as a result of 'natural causes'.
“Data systems are not adequate to capture what are sometimes incredibly complex, but in no way insignificant, underlying reasons for an older person’s death. That death then ends up being reported as being from 'natural causes'," Teresa said. “People are falling through the gaps.”
Working with industry partners for impact
A defining feature of the forum was its collaborative approach. By working alongside industry and community partners, UARC’s researchers integrate frontline experience with policy and legal expertise, ensuring that findings reflect what are the real world challenges and opportunities.
The UARC partnership model strengthens the relevance of research and supports the development of practical, systemwide solutions aligned with the National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People.
Priority areas for future research and collaboration identified in the report include:
- early intervention
- culturally informed responses
- workforce capability
- legal reform
- system integration.
“This report is about gathering the collective insights from industry experts to identify how to move forward to build systems that identify abuse earlier and give people agency to act to support older people to live with safety, respect and autonomy,” Teresa said.
As Australia’s population ages, the findings serve as a timely reminder: preventing elder abuse isn’t just a legal issue – it’s a shared social responsibility.
What’s next?
- Read the Forum Report - Elder Abuse and the Mistreatment of Older People, UARC Law, Policy and Research Exchange Forum, 27 November 2025.
- Download a presentation outlining key findings.
- Read the National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People.
- Learn more about the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative.