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June 17, 2024 4 mins

June 15 marked World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. In this short episode, we highlight what elder abuse is and give a preview of a special episode on the topic that we have coming up. 

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, contact 1800RESPECT. Call text 0458 737 732, chat online or video call via 1800respect.org.au.

For more information about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, visit the website - www.elderabuseawarenessday.org.au

Find out about the Elder Abuse Service: Elder Abuse Service (nsw.gov.au)

Contact Legal Aid NSW: 1300 888 529 or via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au 

Sign up to our Law for Community Workers Alert: Legal Aid NSW - Subscribe

Listen to our podcast series about Elder Abuse, Hard Conversations: https://lawforcommunityworkers.podbean.com/category/hard-conversations-series  Transcript: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:fa0e9811-7be4-49ae-b685-d8cd2f1f85eb 

 

Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Yasmine (00:00):
This podcast was recorded on Darug Country. We

(00:03):
pay our respects to Elders pastand present and acknowledge
Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander peoples as the first
educators, storytellers andcreators.
Did you know that June 15 marksworld Elder Abuse Awareness Day?
The day is acknowledged eachyear globally and provides an
opportunity for communities tostand together against abuse,

(00:25):
mistreatment and neglect ofolder people.
My name is Yasmine and I'm fromthe Community Legal Education
team at Legal Aid New SouthWales. In this short episode
today, I'm highlighting a majorissue - elder abuse, and
showcasing a preview to aspecial episode we have coming
up. According to the World ElderAbuse Awareness Day website,

(00:48):
elder abuse is played out inmany ways. It can be financial,
emotional, psychological,physical, sexual, or social.
Elder abuse can occur once ormany times and can vary in
severity from subtle through toextreme. Most often, elder abuse
is carried out by someone atknown to the older person, with

(01:11):
two thirds of abusers being anadult child. The most recent
study of elder abuse prevalencein Australia found that 14.8% of
those 65 years and over hadexperienced at least one
recognised form of elder abuseover the previous 12 months.
At Legal Aid New South Wales wehave a specialist elder abuse

(01:33):
service base in Gosford. Theservice is focused on supporting
older people at risk of orexperiencing elder abuse. It's
made up of both lawyers andsocial workers who support older
people in the Central Coast andlower Hunter region to find
appropriate remedies for theircircumstances.
Coming up on the Law forCommunity Workers podcast this

(01:54):
month is a really specialinterview with a legal aid New
South Wales client whoexperienced elder abuse by her
son over many, many years.Solicitors Sasha and social
worker Lynn from the elder abuseservice chat to Peg about her
life, her experience with abuseand how she was finally able to
get help. Here's a preview ofthe episode.

Peg (02:14):
So I was fed up with the intimidation, the verbal abuse,
enabling, the threats. You know,isolation. He even tried to kick
myself and my daughters out ofmy own house. I had a solicitor

(02:34):
call me and say, I've just hadyour son he demanding that I
take on a case to kick you outyour own home. It was just hard
work. It was just hard work.What does someone have to die,
you know, or take matters intotheir own hands. Like back in
the day. That's how I felt. Thatwas very hard work. Because I

(03:00):
didn't look like I've beenabused, no blood or been
assaulted. Just mentally. It washard for me to get help. I
honestly feel like he was trying- this is how I felt - trying to
make me kill myself - suicide.That's how I felt and nobody

(03:23):
helped. There was no help.

Yasmine (03:31):
Peg's story is an incredible one, but not unique,
and we hope it sheds a light onthe extent and impact of elder
abuse. Whether you're workingwith older clients, or have
older people in your own lives.To find out when this episode
will be released, make sureyou're following Law for
Community Workers on yourpodcast platform of choice and
subscribe to our emailnewsletter for updates straight

(03:53):
to your inbox. All the detailsare in the show notes. Remember,
if you or someone you know isexperiencing elder abuse or has
any other legal issue, Legal AidNew South Wales is here to help.
Anyone in New South Wales cancontact our team at LawAccess
New South Wales. Our informationofficers can provide you with
legal information and identifyservices in your area who can

(04:17):
help you you can speak to themusing our websites web chat
feature at legalaid.nsw.gov.auor call one 1300 888 529. See
you next time.
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