- Posted on 10 Apr 2026
- 5 minute read
Abuse and mistreatment of older people is more common than many Australians realise and too often, it goes unseen.
The UTS Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC) held a Policy & Exchange Forum in November 2025 to bring together subject matter experts from government, law, peak body organisations, advocacy groups for older people from diverse backgrounds, researchers and academics. The objective was 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.
A summary of the discussions, key insights and related reference material have been published in the UARC Law, Policy and Research Exchange Forum report on Elder Abuse and the Mistreatment of Older People, released in March 2026.
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.
These situations are often missed because they don’t fit the stereotypes people expect. 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.
Ageism makes the problem harder to see
One of the strongest messages emerging from the forum discussions is that ageism is making 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.
The system is fragmented and abuse of older people falls through the cracks.
The report highlights how older people frequently navigate multiple systems before abuse is detected: hospitals, aged care providers, banks, legal services, police and government agencies.
Because these systems don’t always communicate well with each other, warning signs can be missed and responsibility blurred.
“Too often, abuse is implicitly tolerated, not least by the person actually being abused,” Dr Somes notes. “A lack of awareness of rights, or a willingness to tolerate abuse in the name of 'family harmony' often means these situations are missed. 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',” Dr Somes notes. “People are falling through the gaps.”
Why this research matters now
The research that will follow this forum will be richer as a result of the deep forum discussions. The forum discussions and the report provide a clear reference point on where to prioritise the research focus. The forum has helped to identify where evidence is missing and where reform efforts should focus next.
The research will also be closely aligned with Australia’s National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People, released in March 2026. For example, this National Plan includes a focus on working on outcomes to improve reporting pathways and enhance coordination. Such outcomes are necessary to ensure solutions are found that respect older people’s rights, choices and dignity, rather than treating them as passive or vulnerable by default.
Turning evidence into action
UARC’s role is to connect research with real-world change. By bringing together people working across law, policy and frontline services, this forum helped surface practical insights that can guide future reform.
“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,” Dr Somes 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.
Useful links
Learn more about UARC
Read the Full Report
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Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law
Research Assistant, Faculty of Law