Dementia Australia welcomes the National Elder Abuse Awareness campaign, announced by the Australian Government to encourage conversations and promote support services for victims of elder abuse.
Dementia Australia Executive Director Services, Advocacy and Research Dr Kaele Stokes said the government investment in the campaign called ‘Ending the abuse of older people begins with a conversation’ is an important step forward to improving the quality of life for older Australians.
“Elder abuse comes in many forms and impacts the wellbeing of many older Australians. I urge everyone
in the community to learn more about the campaign and how they can promote the rights and safety of older people, especially people impacted by dementia,” said Dr Stokes.
Information and support about the campaign can be found through the Australian Government-funded 1800ELDERHelp phone line and compass.info website.
“With more than 421,000 Australians living with dementia, some of the most vulnerable members of our community, it is important to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect,” Dr Stokes said.
“We know that dementia and mild cognitive impairment can increase a person’s risk of elder abuse, as an individual’s cognition skills and decision-making skills are impacted.”
One common type of elder abuse is financial elder abuse. This abuse can include unauthorised spending, use of another person's cards or accounts, forgery and denying access to accounts or money.
Dementia Australia has worked with financial sector to deliver an online education program Better banking for people with dementia - for banks to learn about the impact of dementia and how to provide improved services for people living with dementia, their families and carers. Better banking for people with dementia was developed with the support of Bendigo Bank.
With two in three people living with dementia thought to be living in the community, community home care workers can be a critical resource to identify potential signs of abuse for someone who may be isolated.
Dementia Australia's mobile app Ask Annie, offers short, self-paced learning modules to help improve care workers’ knowledge through a series of animated scenarios that explain what financial elder abuse is, how to recognise the signs and strategies to prevent or report it.
Ask Annie's module on financial abuse was funded by Insignia Community Foundation.
With this knowledge, aged care workers can play a vital role in advocating for and promoting the safety of people living with dementia.
Ask Annie is free for individuals to download for both iOS and Android smartphones through the relevant app stores. Organisations can purchase a monitoring package of Ask Annie to track the progress and training of their staff. To find out more about purchasing a monitoring package, please contact [email protected] for further information.
For enquires regarding ‘Better banking for people with dementia’ please contact the Centre for Dementia Learning on 1300 DEMENTIA 1300 336 368 or email [email protected].
For free and confidential support, the National Dementia Helpline, 1800 100 500, provides expert information, advice and support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No issue too big, no question too small.
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Dementia Australia is the source of trusted information, education and services for the estimated more than 421,000 Australians living with dementia, and the more than 1.6 million people involved in their care. We advocate for positive change and support vital research. We are here to support people impacted by dementia, and to enable them to live as well as possible. No matter how you are impacted by dementia or who you are, we are here for you.
For support, please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500. An interpreter service is available. The National Dementia Helpline is funded by the Australian Government. People looking for information can also visit dementia.org.au
Media contact: Catherine McCarthy, Media and Communications Advisor [email protected] 0466 796 201
When talking or writing about dementia please refer to Dementia-Friendly Language Guidelines.
Note to Editors:
We request, where possible, details for the National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 appear alongside news stories about dementia, as these stories often prompt questions or concerns:
If this story has prompted any questions or concerns, please call the National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 (24 hours, 7 days a week) or visit dementia.org.au.