Leading ageism awareness in the sector
We all want to live in a world where everyone is respected and included regardless of age. This builds our confidence and ability to make our own decisions.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. And it often involves the older person.
Better Place Australia has been a long-time advocate against ageism – a subtle form of discrimination and a driver of elder abuse.
We were among the funders of the Framing Age Messaging Guide developed by a consortium of Elder Abuse Prevention Networks (EAPNs) and we now host the Southern Melbourne Elder Abuse Prevention Network (SMEAPN).
We are proud to say that our leadership and guidance has enabled SMEAPN to grow and expand its scope of work and influence through stronger links with agencies like the state government, local councils and community organisations.
Aside from awareness building, we also spearheaded the direction, development and delivery of primary prevention strategies within the Southern Melbourne catchment through SMEAPN.
These are some of our key milestones over the past year.
Launch of SMEAPN’s website. Community members can access information about an older person’s rights, how to age safely and where to get support for someone who’s experiencing or at risk of elder abuse. It also houses the Framing Age Message Guide (FAMG).
Expansion of the FAMG. To increase the FAMG’s accessibility and inclusivity, we produced an Easy Read FAMG and translated it into the five top languages in our region: Italian, Greek, Spanish, Simplified Mandarin and Russian.
Further education. SMEAPN’s Masterclasses on Framing Age teaches community organisations how to implement the FAMG. We ran three sessions this year and created a Framing Age Community Practice for Masterclass graduates to help them put their learnings into practice.
Regular communication. SMEAPN sends a quarterly newsletter to its members and interested professionals and community members with updates on ageism and the prevention of elder abuse.
Community engagement. For World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) this year, we spoke at various learning forums about the older person’s rights, practical tips on ageing safely and staying in control of their choices.
Further development of the Warm Safe Homes Project. We recruited a champion for this important project that provides older people a warm and safe home. The outcome of our agency-wide implementation received positive feedback.
Launch of the ‘Your life. Your choice.’ Toolkit. A compilation of information on aging, stories of elder abuse and where to get confidential support. There is also a Learning Forum video featuring Dr Kay Patterson, Age Discrimination Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission and Gary Ferguson, Education Coordinator from Seniors Rights Victoria.
The road to ending ageism is a long one. But we are already making steady progress and are optimistic about educating every Victorian on how to reduce it in their own lives.