Call for stronger protection against elder abuse

More action must be taken by all levels of government to put a stop to elder abuse, according to COTA Australia.

COTA Australia Chief Executive Officer Patricia Sparrow said this includes an urgent reform of Power of Attorney laws, because each state and territory has its own (often weak) Power of Attorney laws, which is contributing to unacceptably high rates of elder abuse.

“Our Power of Attorney laws are leaving too many older people vulnerable to abuse,” she said.

“We need to see our politicians at all levels work together to deliver strong, nationally consistent Power of Attorney laws.

“We’ve all heard stories of unscrupulous relatives or acquaintances using our inconsistent and weak Power of Attorney laws to get away with abusing vulnerable older Australians. “Everyone recognises the problem, but consecutive governments at all levels have dragged their heels on action for years.

“Elder abuse takes many forms and we need serious action on many fronts, but fixing the Power of Attorney laws is one obvious and urgent step we need to take.”

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