Last week the Federal Government released its National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People. It states: “Having access to safe, secure, affordable and appropriately accessible housing is essential for the health and wellbeing of older people and mitigates their risk of mistreatment and abuse.”
 
HAAG welcomes the recognition that housing insecurity places older people at increased risk of abuse and mistreatment. To reduce this risk, it is essential that older people can access secure and genuinely affordable housing. Recognising this in the broader social context of this plan is a positive step towards addressing and preventing elder abuse.
 
HAAG also welcomes that for the first time, ageism has been recognsised as a driving force behind mistreatment and abuse of older people.
 
We welcome the Federal Government’s shift from recognizing and responding to elder abuse to preventing it from occurring – and for this to happen, we must address the housing crisis for older people. Housing is an essential part of any elder abuse prevention plan, and we look forward to seeing this reflected in the priority actions over the next ten years.  
 
Read our report about the link between housing and elder abuse here

Read our submission to the National Plan here