The Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria has announced it is to make tailored language videos in order to inform culturally diverse communities about elder abuse, and the need to report it.
A $60k grant has been offered by the Victoria Law Foundation to make the videos, which will target Chinese, Filipino, Greek, Turkish and other communities.
Research indicates that between 2 and 7 per cent of Australians over 65 years of age experience mistreatment including neglect.
ECCV chairperson Joe Caputo described the videos as an essential resource and one that was long overdue.
“Elder abuse affects us all as a society, and whilst there is no evidence that it occurs more within ethnic communities, ECCV has identified that elder abuse often goes unreported in ethnic communities and that there is a need for culturally responsive services.”
The videos – featuring case scenarios that reflect each community’s cultural context, will show how elder abuse is perceived and should be dealt with.
“Older people from migrant backgrounds are less likely to seek help due to factors such as stigma, isolation and intergenerational conflict and not knowing that help is available for them and their family, so these resources are much needed,” said Mr Caputo.
The project has been warmly welcomed by the Australian Greek Welfare Society, who worked with the ECCV on developing the resources for the Elder Abuse project.
Stelios Piakis, manager of AGWS’ Aged Care and Disabilities Services Unit, told Neos Kosmos that the project offered opportunities for the Greek community to deal with what is often a taboo subject.
“It’s apparent that a percentage of the elderly population experiences abuse, or know of people who have.
“People of Greek background are reluctant to report it; the reasons have to do with cultural perceptions (it is a family matter and others should not know), and also a lack of knowledge on where to seek support.
“The resources developed will assist us in informing our clients on important aspects, like what abuse is, how they can deal with it, and also, what help is available.”
The ECCV’s three-year project, that began in 2012 to prevent elder abuse, is being undertaken in partnership with Senior Rights Victoria and has already led to the creation of several bilingual education resource kits for service providers.
The videos will be targeted at the elderly, their families and community members whose limited literacy may be an obstacle for them to access written information.
The ECCV encourages people who believe they may be experiencing abuse to call the Seniors Rights Victoria helpline 1300 368 821.