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Speaker 1: While many of us are getting really happy and excited

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Speaker 1: about Christmas being just days away, there is just a

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Speaker 1: reminder for everybody about elder abuse and the prevention. There

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Speaker 1: is an organization out there which launches well, they've launched

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Speaker 1: a national campaign and website to provide information and some

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Speaker 1: practical advice for us to respond and also prevent elder abuse.

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Speaker 1: And we know that with the pandemic it has created

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Speaker 1: some rising financial stress for a lot of people, and

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Speaker 1: there's more children likely to move back in with their

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Speaker 1: older parents, and there's also a situation in some families

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Speaker 1: where the elderly have obviously.

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Speaker 2: Had to move in with their children.

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Speaker 1: So there are those growing concerns about the potential for

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Speaker 1: increases in elder abuse. Now joining me on the line

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Speaker 1: to talk more about this Elder Abuse Action Australia co

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Speaker 1: chair Deirdre Tims.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Deardre.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 2: Deardre.

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Speaker 1: Can you tell us a little bit more about you

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Speaker 1: know about this situation and what we've seen happened throughout

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Speaker 1: the pandemic.

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Speaker 4: Yes, as I'm sure you and business would appreciate, many

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Speaker 4: people have been very isolated during the pandemic and this

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Speaker 4: has had a huge impact, particularly on older people.

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Speaker 3: Who have been have really struggled to maintain social contact.

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Speaker 3: And sometimes it's that social contact that actually keeps them

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Speaker 3: safe because there's another set of eyes and ears in

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Speaker 3: the house and they're touching base with other people outside

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Speaker 3: the home. So we've seen some increases in the elder

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Speaker 3: abuse across the country, and this would also be as

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Speaker 3: a result of increased financial pressures and emotional pressures on

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Speaker 3: family members. Most perpetrators of elder abuse are family members,

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Speaker 3: adult children or grandchildren.

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Speaker 2: Isn't that sad?

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Speaker 1: You know, it's a really tough situation. I know that

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Speaker 1: there is a lot of stress on families at this

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Speaker 1: time of the year, but gee, that's a tough situation

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Speaker 1: that some families are in where you know, the elders

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Speaker 1: in their family are then not being treated with the

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Speaker 1: respect that they deserve.

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Speaker 3: Oh. Absolutely, And what if I talk to people about this,

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Speaker 3: you know, they'll often come back to me and say that, well,

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Speaker 3: that's my grannie, And I said, so, yes, it is

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Speaker 3: your grannie and you should be looking after her. And

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Speaker 3: what I'd like people to think about, I think elder

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Speaker 3: abuses everybody's business. We've all got a part to play,

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Speaker 3: because we all need to make sure that we're looking

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Speaker 3: after the older people in our lives, whether they're family members,

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Speaker 3: somebody who happens to live in your street, someone who

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Speaker 3: goes to the same library you go to, whatever it

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Speaker 3: might be, make sure you take the time over this

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Speaker 3: holiday festive season to wish them a merry Christmas, check in,

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Speaker 3: see how they are, drop them a card, anything, something

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Speaker 3: to communicate so that they know they're not alone. I

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Speaker 3: think it's really important at this time.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, and I know that obviously the Elder Abuse

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Speaker 1: Action Australia, your group, your organization, it is nationwide. But

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Speaker 1: here in the territory, I guess you'd say we've been

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Speaker 1: quite lucky in the sense that, you know, for many

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Speaker 1: of us, we are still able to see family members

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Speaker 1: and able to still have those gatherings within the territory.

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Speaker 1: But the fact that plenty of people haven't been able

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Speaker 1: to actually see their family who are into state, you know,

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Speaker 1: sort of stepping away, I guess from the elder abuse

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Speaker 1: and talking more about the loneliness, I suppose that some

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Speaker 1: of our seniors might be feeling it's been a really

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Speaker 1: tough year for seniors all around. Australia hasn't it.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely and loneliness can have a terrible impact on health

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Speaker 3: and well being. Research has indicated that it can have

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Speaker 3: the equivalent impact on your health as smoking fifteen cigarettes

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Speaker 3: to day. I mean that's a serious health impact.

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Speaker 2: Wow, And it's.

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Speaker 3: Really yeah, it's really important that we actually state the

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Speaker 3: older people and I always say a lot of the

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Speaker 3: things we enjoy today have actually been built by the

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Speaker 3: older members of our community. We need to remember that

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Speaker 3: and focus on that. I'm very proud of the work

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Speaker 3: that we've been able to do. We've been supported by

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Speaker 3: the Attorney General's Department to develop knowledge Hub. So that's

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Speaker 3: a website and it's called Compass dot info that contains

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Speaker 3: the best information for people who maybe it elder abuse,

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Speaker 3: or maybe you're just not sure and you want some

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Speaker 3: more information, or you're concerned about a family member or a

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Speaker 3: friend and you want to know where a service is.

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Speaker 3: And I will say that there is a National Elder

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Speaker 3: Abuse Help Line and that's one eight hundred three five

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Speaker 3: three three seven four. Now it's it's this line, but

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Speaker 3: it's a line you can phone and it drops down

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Speaker 3: to your state or territory. Supporting organizations so I say

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Speaker 3: it's not a crisis line. If it's an emergency, you

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Speaker 3: still need to ring Triple zero. Yep. But if you

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Speaker 3: want more information older person who just like to talk

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Speaker 3: about the situation, these calls are free and confidential.

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Speaker 2: I think that's good advice for people and dedre.

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Speaker 1: Are there different things that we can do as well,

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Speaker 1: you know, to reach out to the seniors in our

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Speaker 1: community who maybe we know are alone around Christmas or

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Speaker 1: that they're not able to see their family or friends.

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Speaker 1: Are there different things that we're able to do to

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Speaker 1: sort of help them.

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Speaker 3: Yes, absolutely, just just check in, you know, drop a

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Speaker 3: note in a letterbox, or make you know, well you're

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Speaker 3: walking past their house, say hello, you know, ask them

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Speaker 3: what they're doing, even invite them in if you're fortunate,

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Speaker 3: if you're in Northern Territory and actually I'm based in Wa,

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Speaker 3: so we've been very fortunate in the COVID situation as well,

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Speaker 3: able to have you know, family and friends around. So

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Speaker 3: if you're at all possible, have some contact.

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Speaker 2: Well.

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Speaker 3: Some organized age care providers community age care providers have

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Speaker 3: been doing is developing it so people can use soon

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Speaker 3: or or Skype or FaceTime or something help with that

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Speaker 3: they can talk to relatives and friends.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's been.

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Speaker 1: A great thing to see and obviously makes it a

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Speaker 1: little bit easier for those people who aren't physically able

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Speaker 1: to see their family members. I thought i'd seen as

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Speaker 1: well nationally, and I don't correct me if I'm wrong,

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Speaker 1: but I thought i'd seen that there was a bit

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Speaker 1: of an initiative in one of the states where they

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Speaker 1: had some of the seniors in one of the age

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Speaker 1: care homes actually connecting with some of the school kids,

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Speaker 1: so I able to have a bit of a chat

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Speaker 1: to some of the youngsters, which I thought was a

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Speaker 1: novel idea.

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Speaker 3: There was a wonderful program of very young children, I

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Speaker 3: think our preschool children visiting age care facilities and just

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Speaker 3: absolutely lights up an older person's day. And younger people

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Speaker 3: are you know, what do they say something about out

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Speaker 3: of the truth, coming out of the mouths of young people, out.

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Speaker 2: Of the mouths of babes.

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Speaker 3: I think, yeah, yeah, that's the phrase. They're just just

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Speaker 3: very very straight and entertaining that. It was a wonderful program. Yea,

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Speaker 3: there are lots of things happening, and I just really

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Speaker 3: encourage people to, you know, be bold and say hello,

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Speaker 3: you know, if ever I'm passing an older person, I

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Speaker 3: say hello, you might be the only person they've spoken

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Speaker 3: to you that day.

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Speaker 2: Oh that's such a you know, that's such good advice.

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Speaker 1: And I remember when my great dad was still alive

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Speaker 1: and my mum had taken him out. We lived in

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Speaker 1: another state and she took him out for a pie

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Speaker 1: and took him out for the day, and he'd said

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Speaker 1: to my mum, you know, that's one of the best

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Speaker 1: days that I've had this year. It might not mean

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Speaker 1: a lot to you, but it means a lot to

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Speaker 1: an old bloke like me, and I'll always remember that.

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Speaker 1: And I think it's really important that we look after

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Speaker 1: our seniors.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, yeah, anything.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, Deardre, it's lovely to speak to you this morning.

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Speaker 1: Thanks very much for having a chat to us and

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Speaker 1: letting us know about some of the different things that

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Speaker 1: we can do to ensure that the older people in

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Speaker 1: our community are supported. Just remind us of that website

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Speaker 1: once more if you can, so that if there is

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Speaker 1: anybody out there listening, they can jump on it if

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Speaker 1: they're keen.

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Speaker 3: Yes, it's Compass dot info. And I'll also just remind

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Speaker 3: you of that National Elder views helped line one eight

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Speaker 3: hundred three five three seven four.

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Speaker 2: Good stuff.

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Speaker 1: Well, Deirdre, I really appreciate you chatting with me this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks so much for your time.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you.

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Speaker 2: Have a lovely Christmas and you too, thank you.

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Speaker 1: And well I have just been sent a message as

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Speaker 1: well from Angus Copeland Walters. Now he is a young

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Speaker 1: fellow behind Crop Candy and he's going to be donating

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Speaker 1: and giving out candy and bond bonds to the residents

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Speaker 1: at Pearl in Fanny Bay on Christmas Day, to those

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Speaker 1: who may be alone. That's a lovely thing to hear.

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Speaker 1: Good on you, Angus, That's such a nice thing to do.

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Speaker 1: And I've also been sent a couple of different programs

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Speaker 1: here in the territory as well by mel And. She

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Speaker 1: said that anglericare Entt have a Community Visitors scheme. So

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Speaker 1: it's a national program that connects volunteers with older people

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Speaker 1: at risk of social or cultural isolation. It's funded by

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Speaker 1: the Department of Social Services and offered by Angler Care

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Speaker 1: nt in Darwin, Palmerston, Catherine, Alice Springs and Tenant Creek.

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Speaker 1: Volunteers can visit someone at least once a fortnight, providing

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Speaker 1: friendship and links to the local community. Visits are available

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Speaker 1: to anyone who receives a government funded residential, aged care

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Speaker 1: or home care package and who feels socially isolated and

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Speaker 1: or lonely. Now, if you're interested in the service or

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Speaker 1: becoming a volunteer, you can actually contact you can contact

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Speaker 1: the Community Visitors scheme.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: The best number to do that on is eight nine

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Speaker 1: two eight zero six two zero, And that sounds like

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Speaker 1: a fantastic initiative. I think it's really important for us

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Speaker 1: all at this time of the year to make sure,

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Speaker 1: as you heard then from Deirdre, if you do have

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Speaker 1: a an older person living in your street who you

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Speaker 1: know is alone and you're able to reach out to them,

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Speaker 1: maybe you're able to, you know, to go over and

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Speaker 1: say get a make sure that they are all right.

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Speaker 1: So many of us have been separated from our families

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Speaker 1: this year, and I just think it's a good thing

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Speaker 1: for us all to do to keep an eye out

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Speaker 1: for one another