The Ageing and Disability Commissioner launched two new videos to raise awareness about elder abuse in diverse communities as part of Seniors Week 2023.
An initiative of the City of Sydney and Eastern Sydney Abuse of Older People Collaborative, and funded by the Ageing and Disability Commission, the videos will be part of a larger campaign to target culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and raise awareness about elder abuse in culturally appropriate and sensitive ways.
According to census data, 1.2 million older Australians had been born overseas, with CALD older persons representing 37 per cent of all older Australians. The Survey of Older People (2020) indicated that 15 per cent of people aged 65 and older from CALD backgrounds that live in the community had reported an experience of one of the five core subtypes of elder abuse in the 12 months prior to the survey. However, due to shame, stigma and language barriers, elder abuse may remain underreported in CALD communities.
Filmed in Indonesian and Cantonese, the two new videos will showcase a self-assessment tool called the My Wellbeing Checklist, which was developed by the Ageing and Disability Commission in English.
The resource asks a series of non-threatening questions to spark awareness about an older person’s wellbeing – including financial and emotional safety – helping to identify if they are being cared for appropriately and where to seek help.
Chaired by local organisation Inner Sydney Voice, the City of Sydney and Eastern Sydney Abuse of Older People Collaborative members, including local CALD service providers, translated the resource into Bahasa Indonesian and Cantonese, to make the important information more accessible to local CALD communities.
The translated resource features in the two new in-language videos, where individuals are encouraged to consult the resource and contact the Ageing and Disability Abuse Helpline in their language on 1800 628 221 for information and support.
Filming took place with local social support groups for older people from CALD backgrounds, the Cantonese-speaking older persons group is run by local service provider Australian Nursing Home Foundation and the Indonesian Bahasa-speaking social support group, “Indocare”, is run by Ethnic Community Services Cooperative.
The videos were launched at Kensington Community Centre on Monday, February 6, alongside the online launch of resources through the #MyWellbeingMatters social media campaign via Facebook and WeChat.
“We encourage everyone to join in the campaign to raise awareness about elder abuse, it is up to the whole community – not just older Australians – to start the conversation and to know the signs and where to seek help,” said Tim Horton, chair of the City of Sydney and Eastern Sydney Abuse of Older People Collaborative.
To view the videos, see:
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Seniors Week 2023 runs from 1-12 February 2023 across Australia.
