Older Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Violence Within Residential Care: Improving Early Identification
Tracks
Ballroom 4: In-Person Only
| Tuesday, November 24, 2026 |
| 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM |
| Ballroom 4 |
Overview
Amanda Parkinson, SECASA South East Centre Against Sexual Assault
Three Key Learnings
1. How systems can cause harm, not just fail to prevent it
Attendees will understand how ageism, risk‑averse practice, and institutional responses in health and aged care settings can compound sexual violence through minimisation, misinterpretation of consent, and practices that increase surveillance or restriction rather than safety—constituting systems abuse and social entrapment.
2. Why sexual violence against older women is often invisible—and how to identify it earlier
The presentation will equip participants to recognise the specific barriers to disclosure and identification for older women, including cognitive impairment, dependence on caregivers, and trauma resurgence, and how these intersect with systemic blind spots across services.
3. What trauma‑responsive reform looks like in practice
Attendees will gain practical insights into reforming responses through trauma‑informed, outreach‑based, and relational models of care, illustrated by the SECASA Older Adults Project Model, and learn how services can shift from containment and minimisation toward accountability, dignity, and early, appropriate therapeutic intervention.
Speaker
Miss Amanda Parkinson
Manager Clinical Services
SECASA South East Centre Against Sexual Assault
Older women who have experienced sexual violence within residential care: Improving early identification
Presentation Overview
Sexual violence in older adulthood remains under recognised across health, aged care, and community service systems. Contrary to entrenched assumptions, ageing does not protect individuals from sexual violence. Instead, cognitive decline, increased reliance on others for care, and social isolation often heighten vulnerability, while simultaneously reducing credibility, visibility, and access to justice. These intersecting factors can produce systems abuse, where institutional responses minimise harm, obscure responsibility, and compound trauma rather than provide protection.
Sexual violence against older adults occurs within familial relationships and institutional environments where a formal duty of care exists. In residential aged care facilities alone, it is estimated that approximately 50 sexual assaults occur nationally each week, most commonly against women living with dementia. Alarmingly, more than half of reported incidents are assessed by staff as having caused “no impact” to the resident, exposing significant gaps in trauma informed understanding, consent recognition, and survivor centred response. For many older women, disclosure results not in safety, but increased restriction—reinforcing social entrapment within systems intended to provide care and protection.
Institutional harm is also evident for older women with historical experiences of sexual violence. Declining health, increased dependence, and the intimate nature of personal care can trigger trauma resurgence, yet services often lack the skills required to respond appropriately.
In response to these systemic failures, Monash Health’s South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence (SECASA) implemented the Older Adults Project Model in December 2024. Embedding a trauma informed outreach approach, the model prioritises autonomy, dignity, and relational safety through specialist intake pathways, workforce development, and cross sector education. Informed by doctoral research using a socio ecological framework, this presentation argues that meaningful reform requires structural change—shifting systems away from minimisation and containment toward accountability, early identification and trauma informative practice that resists institutional harm and social entrapment.
Sexual violence against older adults occurs within familial relationships and institutional environments where a formal duty of care exists. In residential aged care facilities alone, it is estimated that approximately 50 sexual assaults occur nationally each week, most commonly against women living with dementia. Alarmingly, more than half of reported incidents are assessed by staff as having caused “no impact” to the resident, exposing significant gaps in trauma informed understanding, consent recognition, and survivor centred response. For many older women, disclosure results not in safety, but increased restriction—reinforcing social entrapment within systems intended to provide care and protection.
Institutional harm is also evident for older women with historical experiences of sexual violence. Declining health, increased dependence, and the intimate nature of personal care can trigger trauma resurgence, yet services often lack the skills required to respond appropriately.
In response to these systemic failures, Monash Health’s South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence (SECASA) implemented the Older Adults Project Model in December 2024. Embedding a trauma informed outreach approach, the model prioritises autonomy, dignity, and relational safety through specialist intake pathways, workforce development, and cross sector education. Informed by doctoral research using a socio ecological framework, this presentation argues that meaningful reform requires structural change—shifting systems away from minimisation and containment toward accountability, early identification and trauma informative practice that resists institutional harm and social entrapment.
Biography
Amanda Parkinson is the Manager of Clinical Services at the South East Centre Against Sexual Assault & Family Violence (SECASA), leading the Adult, Child, Young People and Families Service and the Intake and Brief Intervention Team. She is completing a PhD at Monash University focused on sexual violence against women aged 65 years and over, with a particular interest in early identification and trauma‑responsive practice in home‑based and care settings.
