Lawyers Pitch in to Protect Elderly - Australia

Lawyers pitch in to protect elderly
Deborah GoughMarch 9, 2008

TEAMS of Victorian lawyers will visit senior citizens clubs, health centres and other venues used by the ageing, as part of a crackdown on callous relatives physically abusing or extorting money from family elders.

A disturbing increase in elder abuse has prompted lawyers and advocates to create a service, the first of its kind in Australia, that offers free advice and help to seniors who are being physically abused (including sexually), harassed, coerced or extorted in their own homes by relatives, carers or friends.
With those most at risk aged 75 to 85 — and the State Government predicting the number of Victorians set to hit that age bracket will soar by nearly 50% in the next 13 years — welfare groups are bracing themselves for a torrent of elder abuse cases.

Council on the Ageing executive director Sue Hendy said the number of reports of elder abuse was escalating.

Which is where the legal teams come in. The lawyers are members of the Seniors Advocacy, Information and Legal Centre, which will promote the rights of older Victorians and help to enforce them. The joint project — formed by the Public Interest Law Clearing House, the Council on the Ageing and two community legal centres — begins operating in Melbourne and regional centres such as Bendigo and Echuca next month.
PILCH's executive director, Kirsten Hilton, said the number of calls to the organisation about elder abuse was rising, with most reports concerning financial manipulation.

Council On The Aging (COTA)

Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH)

Abridged.
SOURCE: theageNews