Older people experience sexual violence, but it is rarely reported.
Ageism is one of the drivers of violence against older people. Ageist assumptions include beliefs that older people do not have sex or that they lack capacity to make decisions.
The Aged Care Royal Commission found that there is a high level of sexual abuse in residential aged care facilities. It was found that an estimated number of alleged incidents of sexual assault in residential aged care could be as high as 2520 a year, or almost 50 per week.
Clients with dementia are at significant risk of experiencing sexual violence. Older people with dementia are deliberately targeted for sexual abuse by people attempting to exploit their perceived or assumed lack of memory or credibility.
Research in 2019 found that the majority of aged care staff believed that sexual abuse had ‘no impact’ on older victims, a finding experts attribute to the belief that those living with dementia will not be distressed or have any memory of the assault.
The right to live a life free from sexual violence
Of all forms of abuse and mistreatment of older people, victim survivors are least likely to seek support for sexual abuse. There are many barriers, including social isolation, insufficient training for residential care staff, and a lack of opportunity to disclose. Some survivors wait to the end of their life to tell someone that they experienced sexual violence.
We can do more to prevent and respond to sexual violence against older people, particularly women.
What we’re calling for
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Funding for the specialist sexual assault sector to include roles dedicated to responding to sexual violence experienced by older people.
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Funding for SASVic to partner with Senior Rights Victoria and COTA Australia to strengthen responses, referral processes and support for older people who have experienced historic or recent sexual violence in aged care settings or at home.
What’s happening in the sector?
South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault is implementing a range of strategies to address the under-representation of older people accessing specialist sexual assault services in their region. This has included a dedicated role for older adults who have experienced sexual assault and their affected family members, with a particular focus on older adults in residential aged care and those receiving Commonwealth funded home care services.
Resources
Visit South Eastern CASA to access resources for survivors, carers, family members, and health care workers.