As part of the National Plan to Respond to the Abuse of Older Australians (Council of Attorneys‑General, 2019), the Attorney-General’s Department commissioned the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study (NEAPS) to investigate elder abuse. This snapshot provides the key findings of the Survey of Older People (2020), a nationally representative survey of 7,000 people aged 65 and over living in the community (i.e. they did not live in residential aged care settings). The full report on the NEAPS is available here >

Prevalence of elder abuse and advance planning arrangements

The prevalence of elder abuse varied according to type of advance planning arrangement.

• Having a will was associated with a lower level of elder abuse, with 14% of older people with a will reporting an experience of at least one type of elder abuse, compared to 20% of those without a will.
• Having a power of attorney was also associated with a lower level of elder abuse. Thirteen per cent of older people with an active power of attorney (i.e. can be used when needed) reported an experience of elder abuse, compared to 17% of those without a power of attorney. It was 15% for those who had a power of attorney that was no longer active.
• Family agreements were associated with a higher level of elder abuse: 21% of older people who had family agreements reported an experience of elder abuse, compared with 15% who did not have family agreements. It is important that older people obtain legal advice and make an informed decision before entering family agreements.