The neglected form of abuse
Governments and providers must pay greater attention to the problem of ‘identity abuse’ in the older population.
The Australian government must act now to recognise the often neglected problem of identity abuse in the care of the older population and lead the charge to raise awareness of the issue, worldwide.
Director of Bourne and Associates, Carolynne Bourne AM, has spoken out about what she believes is one of the most common forms of abuse against older people-identity abuse.
“It really looks at the values and characteristics of self- worth,” said Ms Bourne.
“It’s the way you do your hair, your religion, what sort of political beliefs you have or even whether you like to eat bananas or not. It is where everything about an individual is in fact overridden by other people.
“As soon as you loose the choice then you loose your voice.”
The paper, Eat Bananas. Identity Abuse in the Care of Older Australians, released by the research company officially defines the problem as: “Providing a range of care and responses to needs, wants and desires which runs mostly or totally counter to an individual s sense of identity, self-concept, lifestyle preferences, priorities and choices”.
Ms Bourne said that identity abuse is not only rampant throughout the aged care sector but it is set to increase as the population ages.
“This form of abuse is usually just put underneath other areas, such as respect and dignity but that doesn’t go nearly far enough.
“Within bureaucratic frameworks there is a particular way of accessing data. What I have found is that there is a silence because the people who seek the data are not part of the groups with access to it.
“There is silence from those people dealing directly with the problem…People who are aware of this problem, particularly family and friends, feel ashamed, guilty and disenfranchised, so they remain silent too.”
Ms Bourne has therefore called upon the government to take action to formally recognise this form of abuse as a matter of urgency.
“We need to take a more critical and forensic look at regulatory arrangements, delivering quality services and lifelong career pathways, particular for care workers and recognising ‘identity abuse’ along with other forms of abuse.”
Although some organisations have come a long way to recognise the identity of individuals by adopting person-centered approaches to care, there are many others that have not.
“I think there are a lot of nursing homes that are taking this issue on board, which endeavour to do their very best. But [at the moment], it’s a scale from lip service to very active.
“I think that is the problem. If we are talking about the quality of care provided across institutions, it is various….We need a [consistent] definition of what quality care is so that it is not open to interpretation.”
The aged care sector also needs to source and communicate with those whose experiences and views are traditionally not sought.
“This will help create environments in which our nation’s people can live the life they choose – and that this choice does not diminish or disappear with age or ill health.”
