The Elder Abuse Prevention Unit (EAPU) Helpline is funded by the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, to provide information, support, and referrals to older people and those who witness or suspect that an older person is experiencing abuse or neglect. Helpline staff enter this non-identifiable information into PEARL (Prevention of Elder Abuse Record List), the EAPU’s custom-built research database.

Data are extracted, analysed and reported annually. The data analyses are structured using a bifocal ecological model which includes information about potential risk factors at an individual level for victims and perpetrators, along with relational, community, and societal factors that may contribute to elder abuse. A number of the 2021-22 findings are compared against population-level data to enhance understanding.