Older Women’s Network NSW INC kindly provided the following information.
“One in four women reporting physical domestic violence are older.
Research found that older women thought that leaving the relationship, going to a refuge or calling the police were choices for young women…
…many older women felt that they had invested too much in their families and partners to leave, that they were too old to re-enter the workforce or were not prepared to be ostracised from their cultures, community or social networks. A common fear expressed by older women was that if they left their home they would be placed in an aged care facility.”
“Older persons should be able to live in dignity and security and be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse” – United Nations Principles for Older Persons, 1991
Violence against women does not stop at the age of 45. Instead, the violence may become more complex, insidious and debilitating, compounded by factors such as the financial insecurity of single women in their fifties and early sixties, and a culture of silence and stoicism among older women. The greatest immediate challenge is to provide older women experiencing violence and abuse with a safe and appropriate pathway to effective support and assistance. (The Disappearing Age: a strategy to address violence against older women, 2008)
Services
CENTRAL REFERRAL SERVICE FOR CHRONIC, AGED AND COMPLEX CARE SERVICES • 1800 013 101
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LINE • 1800 656 463
NSW ELDER ABUSE HELPLINE & RESOURCE UNIT • 1800 628 221
OLDER WOMEN’S NETWORK • 02 9519 8044
THE OLDER PERSON’S LEGAL AND EDUCATION PROGRAM • 1800 424 079