A survey of 1,259 residents in 120 NSW retirement villages by the Retirement Village Residents Association (RVRA), funded by the NSW Fair Trading Better Regulation Division, has found high rates of abuse.
The survey showed:
- Over 40% reported experiencing at least one type of abuse. The proportion of females reporting abuse was higher (44%) than for males (34%).
- The most commonly reported types of abuse were Patronisation (31%), followed by Harassment (20%) and Intimidation (20%).
- For each type of abuse, over two-thirds of respondents indicated it occurred on multiple occasions, with the highest repeat figure of 77% for Harassment.
- The most common type of abuse is Patronisation, with 69% specifying Management as the source of that type of abuse. This category included village staff, the manager and Head Office.
- Resident-on-resident abuse was the highest source of abuse at 70% (except Patronisation).
The RVRA survey, released on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, will allow the RVRA to develop training and information materials regarding strategies for coping with the abuse and where to go for help.
The RVRA has released a leaflet for Retirement Village residents to understand this type of abuse and assist with coping strategies and avenues for seeking help.
The organisation has also partnered with the DCM Institute to host two webinars on this important piece of research: the first with residents and their families, and the second for operators.
“It has been really pleasing to see the response from operators,” James Wiltshire, Executive Director of the DCM Institute said.
“We currently have more than 200 operator representatives registered for this webinar – which ranges from C-suite executives down to Village Managers.”
Register for the webinars by clicking here.
