Elder Mediation and the Financial Abuse of Older People by a Family Member

Abstract

This article analyzes quantitative and qualitative data collected from three Australian national online surveys with chief executive officers of organizations providing services to older people and their families and family mediation agencies, service providers working in those organizations, and older people and their relatives. Respondents were asked to identify risk factors for the financial abuse of older people by a family member, comment on the potential usefulness of elder mediation as a strategy to prevent this commonly reported form of abuse, identify the specialist knowledge and skills an elder mediator would need, and identify other factors to be considered.