The SMPCP Elder Abuse Prevention Network were thrilled to have Commissioner for Senior Victorians and Ambassador for Elder Abuse Prevention, Gerard Mansour officially launch Preventing Elder Abuse: a literature review for the SMPCP Elder Abuse Prevention Network today. The document is a rapid review of primary prevention literature as it relates to elder abuse.

In response to recommendations from the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the Victorian Government is funding the establishment of eight elder abuse prevention networks to collaborate at a community level and focus on the prevention of elder abuse.

As part of the Monash Health Integrated Model of Responding to Suspected Elder Abuse, SMPCP established the Southern Melbourne Elder Abuse Prevention Network (SMEAPN) in Janaury 2018. InJuly 2022, network member Better Place Australia took over leadership of SMEAPN.

The SMEAPN seeks to:

• focus on primary prevention activities including:
  • addressing the drivers of elder abuse such as ageist attitudes in the community
  • conducting elder abuse awareness activities with older people, their families, carers and general community 
  • utilising social media as a platform for community engagement and to facilitate the dissemination of primary prevention messages
  • connecting practitioners working with older community members, their families and carers

A steering committee and working group have been established to guide the development of the EAPN and the delivery of primary prevention activities.

Members of the network include:

EveryAGE Counts

We recognise that ageism can contribute to the occurance of elder abuse which is why we have joined the
EveryAGE Counts campaign to combat ageism wherever we find it.

Work of the SMPCP EAPN has included:

• Framing age message guide
• Podcast - Rod Quantock gets serious about ageing
• Preventing Elder Abuse: A literature review for the SMPCP Elder Abuse Prevention Network
• Guidelines for Managing Disclosures of Family Violence and Elder Abuse
• World Elder Abuse Awareness Day social media toolkit - 2021
• World Elder Abuse Awareness Day social media toolkit - 2020
• Submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Standards
• I'm older...YouTube positive ageing videos
• Celebrate all ages

Resources of interest include:

• Action research - Older, Better Together: The primary prevention of elder abuse by primary prevention networks
• Victorian Elder Abuse Prevention Networks

To keep in touch with EAPN activities you can sign up for our e-newsletter or like us on facebook.

To express interest in participating in the SMPCP EAPN please contact:

Ageing: Challenge your thinking is SMPCP's e-newsletter focussing on the primary prevention of elder abuse. Articles discuss how to challenge drivers of elder abuse such as ageism. There's also information about local events, resources to help 'stop abuse before it starts' and links to training in identifying those at risk as well as recognising and responding to signs of abuse.

June 2022

Additional past issues can be accessed on our archive page.

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SMPCP is excited to announce that we have been selected as the lead agency to establish an Elder Abuse Prevention Network (EAPN) within our catchment.

The Royal Commission into Family Violence recognised elder abuse as a particular form of family violence and developed a number of recommendations to tackle this important and under-reported issue. The Elder Abuse Prevention and Response Initiative is part of the Victorian government's response to these recommendations.This includes funding for the establishment of 10 elder abuse prevention networks to collaborate at a community level and focus on the prevention of elder abuse.

Well-known Australian comedian, speaker and social activist Rod Quantock OAM joined with the SMPCP Elder Abuse Prevention Network to create a podcast series Rod Quantock gets serious about ageingto encourage young and old alike to:

• challenge ageist and sexist attitudes
• empower older people to know their rights and act on them
• raise awareness of elder abuse, including what it is and where to get help if desired

Light in tone yet addressing a serious subject, the podcast series delves into the hidden issue of age discrimination and elder abuse.

Rod says “I made the podcast for people young and old alike because we, as a society, need to step up to challenge ageist and sexist attitudes and to empower older people to know their rights and act on them. Becoming older does not mean that your rights are in any way diminished. Ageism leads to people not respecting older people and contributes to the attitudes that lead to the inappropriate treatment of older people.” 

Rod hopes this reasonably serious podcast series can assist in raising the community’s awareness of age discrimination and elder abuse.

Episode 1: Rod Quantock gets serious about ageing

Features Rod interviewing:

• Gerard Mansour, Commissioner for Senior Victorians and Ambassasdor for Elder Abuse Prevention
• Gary Ferguson, Community Education Manager – Seniors Rights Victoria
• Michelle Lord, Elder Abuse Prevention Network Project Lead – Southern Melbourne Primary Care Partnership

This episode also importantly aims to raise awareness of elder abuse, including what it is and where to get help if desired.

Episode 2: Older, active and valued

Features Rod being interviewed by Colin Tyrus about his active life as an older Australian.

Episode 3: Are you ageist and does it matter?

Features Colin Tyrus speaking with two older Australians about what ageism looks like and the impact it has on everyday lives.

Listen to all episodes in the Rod Quantock gets serious about ageing podcast series:

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• Media player:    Episode 1    |    Episode 2   |    Episode 3

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In response to recommendations from Victoria's Royal Commission into Family Violence, 10 Elder Abuse Prevention Networks (EAPNs) have been funded by the Victorian Goverment across the state. The EAPNs use a primary prevention approach to address elder abuse. Five of the networks have been established as 'stand alone' while a further five networks are part of the trial Integrated Model of Care for Responding to Suspected Elder Abuse (IMOC). This model comprises four components.

1. Workforce training
2. Liaison Officer – Elder abuse prevention and response
3. Counselling and mediation services (including financial counselling)
4. Elder Abuse Prevention Network

Details for each of the networks can be found below.