The WA Strategy to Respond to the Abuse of Older People (Elder Abuse) 2019-2029 will help to guide the State Government's programs and initiatives to prevent elder abuse and protect the rights and dignity of older Western Australians.

Elder abuse involves the abuse of an older person by someone in a relationship of trust, often a family member, and most commonly involves financial, psychological or social abuse.

Believed to impact between 7,000 and 49,000 Western Australians, elder abuse is both an underreported and misunderstood issue in the community.

The 10-year Strategy outlines four key priority areas:

• Educating older people and the community about elder abuse, the signs of abuse, and where and how to report it;
• Supporting older people to remain socially connected, and providing avenues to seek help;
• Safeguarding and supporting older people with accessible support and justice responses; and
• Building the evidence base to inform effective responses that can prevent and reduce elder abuse, and support older people to seek help and recover.