Research and reports

Elder Abuse Statistics in Queensland: Year in Review

The Elder Abuse Prevention Unit produces research and reports related to elder abuse. Our key publication is the annual Year in Review report, which provides a detailed analysis of elder abuse occurring within family relationships throughout Queensland. It includes insights into victims, perpetrators, notifiers, abuse patterns, referral pathways and much more. It has proven to be a strong advocacy tool to demonstrate what elder abuse is, as well as inform prevention and response strategies.

To view previous reports, please contact us via: eapu@uccommunity.org.au  

Other research

The Elder Abuse Prevention Unit’s has presented research findings at national and international conferences and is frequently cited in news media, other research, forums and by training organisations. Read about some of our other research reports below.

The EAPU Helpline:
Investigation of Five
Years of Call Data
(2015)

This report investigates five years' worth of Helpline data. The report finds consistencies over time for age and gender, although it suggests that elder abuse in older age groups may not be as gendered as abuse within spousal relationships. Drilling down into abuse types and relationships indicates that elder abuse is a different construct to spousal abuse. A change in the patterns of two abuse types over time reveals that sons and daughters are becoming more alike in their patterns of abuse. Click here for the full report.

A ‘Wishlist’ for a Prevalence
Study (2015)

The EAPU Reference Group Research Subgroup final report on a proposal for a Queensland prevalence study. Click here for the full report.

Submission: Domestic
and Family Violence
Taskforce on Elder
Abuse (2015)

This submission was prepared for the Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce chaired by the former Governor-General, Dame Quentin Bryce. The submission raised important issues, including the cost of elder abuse and the need for a targeted and coordinated approach to prevention. Other key issues were the need for current legislation to be reviewed and strengthened, as well as a prevalence study to identify a baseline for service delivery and measuring the impact of elder abuse services. Click here to read the full submission.

The EAPU Helpline: Investigation of Five Years of Call Data (2015)

This report investigates five years' worth of Helpline data. The report finds consistencies over time for age and gender, although it suggests that elder abuse in older age groups may not be as gendered as spousal abuse. Drilling down into abuse types and relationships indicates that elder abuse is a different construct to spousal abuse. A change in the patterns of two abuse types over time reveals that sons and daughters are becoming more alike in their patterns of abuse. Click here for the full report.

A ‘Wishlist’ for a Prevalence Study (2015)

The EAPU Reference Group Research Subgroup final report on a proposal for a Queensland prevalence study. Click here for the full report.

Submission: Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce on Elder Abuse (2015)

This submission was prepared for the Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce chaired by the former Governor-General, Dame Quentin Bryce. The submission raised important issues, including the cost of elder abuse and the need for a targeted and coordinated approach to prevention. Other key issues were the need for current legislation to be reviewed and strengthened, as well as a prevalence study to identify a baseline for service delivery and impact of services on the elder abuse. Click here to read the full submission.
Elder Abuse Prevention Unit