Elder abuse is a human rights issue—but is now becoming a social issue due to the increasing aged population in Australia. It can range from emotional to physical abuse. This can also exist in the form of financial abuse.
Due to the financial burden, some neglectful adult children withhold the proper health care services for their parents. This challenges the Australian health care community and the government in reforming national policy frameworks. Check Arcare for more details.
However, despite its alarming presence on the huge part of the Australian population, prevalence reports about elder abuse are hasty. In 2011, there are about 20, 000 unreported cases of elder abuse. To underestimate this is being short-sighted. The increasing population of aging Baby Boomers and the burden it brings only materializes the possibility of elder abuse.
In 2007, residential care facility staff members in Australia were mandated to report abuse. But this doesn't hold back abuse from happening. 10 years later, today, leading factors like poor staffing and high housing prices in aged care agencies seem to inflate abuse.
This year, several aged care staff were accused of systematically abusing disabled elders. Five residential aged care executives were convicted of implementing dehumanizing policies on patients. One patient even told authorities that he slept in a cold, windowless room with no loo. Simply put, they were treated like animals.
Staff who are not properly trained to handle elders with aggressive behavior are more likely to abuse. Being a carer requires emotional and mental strength.
If you're planning to put your loved one in a Brighton aged care agency, make sure the agency's staff is well-trained and licensed. For example, if you're looking residential palliative care Brighton has these days, Arcare has carers who obtained Certificate III qualification in aged care. They also provide services such as community aged care Brighton elders look for these days. Also, assess the company's reputation.
In Melbourne, authorities also recommend those who need a Brighton aged care to log in a company's website. If you're looking for a good respite Brighton agencies provide these days, check for great community response to their services.
This year, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) proposes to take aged care staffing qualification to a higher level. They are also pressuring the government to reform and improve policy frameworks regarding only senior abuse. Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is also being called out to straighten up crooked and inconsistent regulations. Also, due to the hasty laws on reporting abuse, the federal government was already nudged about this and is already mobilizing.
Meanwhile, the most difficult challenge to overcome is finding solid statistics about elder abuse. ALRC recommends a national prevalence study to help the authorities gain concrete data about elder abuse.