Prevention of abuse of older people

To prevent abuse of older people (also known as elder abuse), we need to understand it. The prevention of abuse of older people (AOP) was a three-year MSD initiative that focused on building the foundations needed to better understand, prevent, and respond to the abuse of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

If you are looking for information or support about abuse of older people, please visit: Elder abuse response service – Office for Seniors website

 The initiative focused on investing in research to build a foundational and robust evidence base around the prevention of abuse of older people.

The initiative had four focus areas:

• Reviewing what is known about abuse of older people and what is already happening to prevent it.
• Understanding the abuse of older people happening in Aotearoa including prevalence, impacts, and drivers.
• Investing in opportunities to grow the prevention system around abuse of older people.
• Testing what works (and doesn't work) in initiatives aiming to prevent abuse of older people.

Work to better understand abuse of older people in Aotearoa

We initially focused on reviewing the existing information we have about AOP in Aotearoa, and current initiatives aiming to prevent AOP. Key projects included:

• Looking at what data sources may hold insights about the prevalence and characteristics of abuse of older people in Aotearoa.
• Reviewing the screening and assessment tools for abuse of older people in use in Aotearoa and internationally.
• Gathering insights from initiatives funded by the Office for Seniors’ Elder Abuse Prevention Fund.

Research reports from these three projects are now available – see below.

The next phase of the work programme focused on delivering two significant research projects:

• A national prevalence study of the abuse of older people. The study will include a large survey of older people, research in the Integrated Data Infrastructure, and qualitative research with older people who have experienced abuse of older people.
• Qualitative research to better understand different cultural perspectives on the abuse of older people.

Publications and resources

Abuse of older people in Aotearoa New Zealand: An examination of potential data sources

MSD commissioned this research to find out what data is being collected about AOP; if this data could be used to estimate the prevalence of AOP in New Zealand; and, whether it may be able to provide insights into the scale and/or characteristics of AOP. The research focused primarily on data sources that can be quantitatively analysed. This included large surveys, administrative data sources, data held by MSD funded services and data sources held by other large organisations. The researchers evaluated the data sources by reviewing publicly available information, interviewing data experts, and conducting a short survey of organisations that may hold other data sources for AOP. The research was conducted by the COMPASS Research Centre at the University of Auckland.

Review of screening and assessment tools for abuse of older people 

MSD commissioned this research in order to understand more about the current state of screening and assessment of AOP in New Zealand. The findings from this research are intended to inform improvements across the system. The research included a literature review to identify screening and assessment tools for AOP in New Zealand and internationally and interviews with a cross-section of practitioners and clinicians who are in a position to detect AOP. The research was conducted by the University of Auckland. 

Gathering insights from the Elder Abuse Prevention fund

In 2022, the Office for Seniors provided one-off grants of up to $25,000 through the Elder Abuse Prevention Fund. The funding was provided to initiatives aiming to prevent AOP. MSD funded a learning and insights review of these initiatives. The research was conducted by Dovetail Consulting Ltd.

Abuse of older people research symposium 

In September 2024, MSD and Vine co-hosted a one-day symposium to bring together specialists, researchers and policymakers working to address the abuse of older people. The symposium featured speaker panels and workshop discussions that explored the critical gaps in our understanding of and response to abuse of older people in Aotearoa. The speaker panels and workshops addressed four themes understanding and measuring abuse of older people, inequities and intersectional identities, reflections from practice on barriers and challenges, and aspirations for wellbeing and hauora.