CaLD Elder Rights Pilot Project

Outcomes  from this project

Outcomes from this project will be implemented in a second community Elder Rights Project set to launch next quarter.

This project was completed at the end of September 2024, with a closing function scheduled for 31 October 2024 to thank the community champions who helped make it happen.

About the project

The project explored community perceptions and levels of awareness of elder rights and elder abuse to inform the development of culturally appropriate messaging and materials.

We were interested in the use of language regarding elder rights and abuse within marginalised groups, with a specific focus on seniors and their families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds.

The goal was to help facilitate the development of targeted community legal education resources that reduce stigma and improve access to support for CaLD seniors facing rights violations and abuse.

The pilot project methodology included co-design with CaLD community leaders through information sessions and engagement with CaLD communities in the Perth metro area.

Two information sessions were held in March, attended by 17 community champions from different cultural and linguistic groups in the Perth metro. They were followed by 13 workshops with different cultural groups between April and September across the Perth metro and in Peel.

The feedback from the workshops was overwhelmingly positive. Many participants said they had not been aware of the free legal support available and now had a better understanding of what elder abuse was.

“There are wonderful support services available. We need to continue discussing outreach and access in our communities,” said one community champion.

The project report and recommendations will be released in November 2024.

More info

We were proud to partner with Legal Aid WA to deliver this project with funding from the Department of Communities.

For a copy of the Elder Rights WA Strategy, launched in 2022, click here

For more information and resources on elder rights, go to the Elder Rights WA webpage here.

Project Goals

The project strategy was to help build the capacity of local CaLD communities and service providers to better support CaLD seniors and their families by:

  • Increasing awareness and understanding of elder rights and elder abuse.
  • Mapping community understanding of the concepts of elder rights and abuse, including knowledge of referral pathways and services.
  • Assessing the understanding of indicators of elderly abuse.
  • Examining perceptions of elderly abuse amongst the target communities.
  • Referring at-risk individuals or families.
  • Identifying cultural and linguistic barriers to effective engagement.
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of current information and awareness campaigns.
  • Recommending ways to improve elder rights awareness and support.