The number of reported sexual and serious physical assaults at aged care facilities on the Gold Coast is nearly 70 per cent higher than the national average. The latest statistics, released by the Department of Health, have sparked outrage from aged care advocates, who have called for more awareness of and vigilance against elder abuse. The shocking figures show two per cent of nursing homes residents or 98 people were seriously assaulted or sexually assaulted on the Coast between 2015 and 2016 — 67 per cent higher than the national average of 1.2 per cent. The findings were released this week to the 21,000-member Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA) after it lodged a Freedom of Information request to the Department and then two appeals.
