NEWS DESK
Complex family ties can lead to abuse of elders
Road safety success: McClelland College students Caitlin and Sarah took part in the Fit To Drive year 11 workshop. Pic: Supplied
Safe driving message reaches 100,000 THE VicRoads Fit To Drive year 11 workshop has now been brought to over 100,000 students, with the group celebrating the milestone at McClelland College, Langwarrin. The program was started by former McClelland College principal Graham Spencer in response to a spike in road deaths involving young people in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula. The workshop has been developed and has grown over the past five years, and on 19 June returned to McClelland
College to mark its 100,000th student reached. Fit To Drive foundation CEO Debbie Collings said “the F2D year 11 workshop was founded on a community’s passion and commitment to act to keep their young people safe on the road.” “That same commitment is reflected in every community we’ve travelled to since and that’s why we’ve been able to reach 100,000 Victorian year 11s in under five years,” she said. “Now more than ever, we have to keep listening to young people’s ex-
periences and perceptions of road use. Most importantly, we have to keep engaging them in coming up with the solutions to keep themselves and their mates safe.” McClelland College year 12 student Sarah Garnier completed the program last year. She said “a lot of our friends are getting their P’s now which is exciting. We are able to put into perspective what we learnt in these workshops and apply it to real life and I think it’s helped the overall safety of our friends.”
THE COMPLEXITIES of parent-child relationships family conflicts and rising living costs are some of the hidden factors behind elder abuse being uncovered by Peninsula Community Legal Centre. “Without adequate education of what constitutes this form of abuse, the perpetrator may be unaware their actions are abusive,” the centre’s legal services director Kate Ross said. PCLC says that Senior Rights Victoria’s help line data for the past two years points to the fact that 90 per cent of alleged perpetrators of elder abuse were related to the older person; often an adult son or daughter, or estranged ex-partner. “Part of the reason this form of abuse is under reported is the disbelief that a family member could behave in such a predatory way,” Ms Ross said. “The difficulty of raising the issue with the family member, let alone instigating legal action, is in many cases too much to bear.” Ms Ross said older people were sometimes alienated and disadvantaged in today’s technology-focused society which “enables the younger
generations to have the upper hand”. “In this environment, older people can be treated with contempt and seen as a waste of space; yet the vast majority of seniors have paid their taxes over many years and contributed much to the lives of their children,” she said. Ms Ross said PCLC saw elder abuse as a form of family violence, although “risk factors, relationship dynamics and outcomes are unique”. “The particular nature of the parent-child relationship and how it is affected by external pressure due to family conflict; the rising cost of living, the care needs of the parent, mental and physical issues of the child, can influence elder abuse. A history of family conflict or violence can also affect the parent-child relationship,” Ms Ross said. Peninsula Community Legal Centre provides free legal advice about family issues, fines and tenancy issues. To make a day or evening appointment at one of its offices at Frankston or Rosebud call 9783 3600 or visit www.pclc.org.au.
Frankston Times
25 June 2019
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