Australia’s elder abuse ‘champion’ to retire after seven years

Australia's Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson AO will retire after a seven-year term in the position.

Since stepping into the role in 2016, Dr Patterson has championed stronger laws against elder abuse including her ongoing advocacy to harmonise power of attorney rules at a federal level.

She has also played a pivotal role in informing Australia's sweeping aged-care reforms in her position as a member of the Council of Elders.

Upon hearing news of her retirement, Older Person's Advocacy Network chief Craig Gear said Dr Patterson's work has helped to shine a bright light on the depth of the issue of ageism nationwide.

"Dr Patterson worked around championing the establishment of Elder Abuse Action Australia," Mr Gear told Aged Care Insite.

"She also supported OPAN with key initiatives such as our Ready To Listen project, which aimed at preventing sexual assault of older people in residential aged care."

"Her time as an educator in allied health and psychology was also important because she developed three free learning modules for allied health professionals to detect elder abuse."

Mr Gear, who was in attendance during Dr Pattern's retirement ceremony, said the lack of harmonised rules for powers of attorney was a key issue brought up by the commissioner.

"The issue has been on the agenda of the attorney general's across the country for over 20 years," Mr Gear said.

Older Australians experienced the highest number of scams in 2022, with nearly 50,000 incidents reported and a net financial loss of $120.7m across the country.

Around $3.5 trillion worth of assets are estimated to be inherited by younger generations from the silent generation and baby boomers due to abusing power of attorney, research has shown.

During her long career, Dr Patterson has urged others to support her in advocating for federalising powers of attorney and establishing an online register.

"The banks are calling for it, the human services sector is calling for it, aged care is calling for it," Mr Gear said.

"We need to make sure that these tools are there to protect the rights of older people."

While the appointment of Dr Patterson's successor remains unknown, Mr Gear emphasised the significance of the new commissioner to understand the profound importance of valuing and respecting older people.

"We need someone who can combat and stamp out ageism in all its insidious forms," Mr Gear said.

"But also someone who can recognise that it extends beyond aged care and encompasses our financial system and can work with the government to reform the areas."

"Most importantly, we need someone who can promote the value of older people."

For Dr Patterson, the core value of her work was also to value older Australians.

One significant example is her work on intergenerational projects including 100 Canberra, which was praised for dismantling ageist stereotypes and fostering meaningful connections between teenagers and centenarians.

"The exhibition celebrated their lives and showed that joy, but also built heartfelt relationships," Mr Gear said.

Dr Patterson's innovation impacted older Australians' rights and values immensely. For Mr Gear, their relationship was much more personal.

"The respect I have for her about how she brings changes about and how she works in a bipartisan fashion to champion the rights of older people is something that is informing my leadership in this sector as well," Mr Gear said.

"A personal thanks for the relationship that Dr Patterson has formed with myself and OPAN."

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