Aged Care

When aged care becomes aged control

Ritchelle Drilon
June 26, 2026

Older Australians can be vulnerable to a form of abuse that is often hard to see: coercive control.

Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour used to create fear, restrict freedom and reduce a person’s independence. It is often discussed in the context of family and domestic violence, but it can also affect older people in relationships with adult children, carers, paid helpers, friends or others in their community.

For older Australians, the abuse may not always look like overt violence. It can involve isolation, pressure, threats, manipulation, financial control, interference with medical care, or decisions being made on a person’s behalf without genuine consent.

This creates a serious challenge for the systems designed to protect older people. Research from CQUniversity, Charles Sturt University and Three Rivers Department of Rural Health has found that some safeguards can be misused to control the very people they are meant to support.

The research drew on the experiences of family members, friends and health professionals who had supported older Australians experiencing coercive control. Many described the same problem: when they raised concerns, they struggled to get help.

“We heard very sad stories of family members who tried many times to access help for their elderly relative. They told us that they were not believed, there was no action taken and in some cases there was suspicion placed on the person reporting their concerns,” CQU Social Work academic Dr Helen Hickson said.

These accounts point to a gap in how coercive control is understood and addressed when it affects older people.

“It’s clear there are gaps with coercive control legislation, when it goes beyond intimate partner relationships,” Dr Hickson said.

Much of the current language and policy around coercive control has been shaped by intimate partner violence. That framing is important, but it does not always fit elder abuse. An older person may be controlled by an adult child, a carer, a neighbour or a service provider. The relationship may involve dependence, family loyalty, shame, fear of losing support, or concern about being placed in care.

This can make abuse harder to identify and harder to report.

“Because coercive control is often hidden, or deliberately covert, there’s a lack of awareness about the various ways older people might need protections,” Dr Hickson said.

“The language of coercive control in older adults is different and words like victim or survivor don’t quite fit when we are talking about a parent/ child relationship for instance, or client/ carer.”

Health and community service workers are often in a position to notice when something is wrong. They may see signs that an older person is becoming withdrawn, losing access to money, missing appointments, being prevented from speaking privately, or deferring decisions to someone who appears controlling.

But recognising coercive control requires more than observing isolated incidents. It requires looking for patterns.

A single decision may appear voluntary. A single missed appointment may seem minor. A single family disagreement may not raise alarm. But when these events form a pattern that limits an older person’s independence, safety or dignity, they may indicate abuse.

Dr Hickson said limited definitions of coercive control can make it harder for health professionals to recognise harmful behaviour and report potential criminal conduct.

“Limited definitions of coercive control mean that health professionals are less likely to recognise the behaviours and report potentially criminal behaviours… and meanwhile, the coercive control is having a range of serious health impacts on the older person being isolated and victimised,” she said.

Researchers argue that stronger safeguards are needed across health, aged care, legal and social systems. This includes clearer definitions, better training for frontline workers, and responses that understand trauma and the complex dynamics of elder abuse.

“We hope this research provides an evidence-based definition of coercive control to support greater consistency managing behaviours, pursuing criminal charges, and improving healthcare and social policy,” Dr Hickson said.