On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we recognise the right of every older person to live free from abuse, neglect, exploitation and coercion.

At Council on the Ageing NSW, we believe that preventing elder abuse starts with information, awareness and conversation.

Over the past year, we have worked to make information about elder abuse easier for older people, families and communities to find and access. We have invested in ensuring our information is current, accessible and easy to navigate, recognising that people cannot seek help if they do not know where to find it.

We have also partnered with NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner, Jeff Smith, to help ensure that trusted information reaches the people who need it most.

We have also created opportunities for important conversations about the factors that can increase vulnerability to abuse. Through webinars and community discussions with partners including Elder Abuse Action Australia, we have explored the links between ageism, loneliness, and elder abuse, and the ways these issues intersect in the lives of older people.

At the same time, we have continued to advocate for stronger recognition of the coercive and controlling behaviours that often underpin elder abuse. Too often these experiences remain hidden, despite having profound impacts on older people’s safety, autonomy and wellbeing.

We are releasing a first-of-its-kind research report into ageism that looks at the short and long term impacts older people face in ageism, a key driver of elder abuse.

The entire ageing sector has a role to play. We are proud to continue this work alongside our partners in the NSW Ageing Peaks Program.

While progress is being made, there is more work to do.

Today, we recommit to a future where every older person is safe, respected, heard and free to make their own decisions.