Health professionals are in a unique position to identify and respond to family violence. They’re able to quickly establish trust and rapport with patients seeking treatment for injuries or medical conditions resulting from family violence. Yet some victim-survivors have found that when they’ve presented to hospital, their experiences of family violence were minimised, medicalised or, worse yet, they were inadvertently silenced.
This Western Health podcast series – If only someone had asked – explores the issue of family violence: what it is and why it occurs; how to identify it when we see it; and how we as a health sector can respond.
We’ll hear from women with lived experience of family violence as well as community and health professionals working to strengthen responses to family violence.
Some of what we cover is harrowing, but there’s hope too. We can make a difference. We can be that someone who asked. Who showed compassion. Who believed. Who provided someone in danger with what might be that first important step towards safety.
Content warning: domestic abuse and family violence
The National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study was published in 2021, finding that one in six older Australians has suffered elder abuse of some kind including psychological, physical, financial and sexual abuse, and neglect. This number surprised experts and indicated the problem is far worse than previous estimates.
In this fourth episode of If only someone had asked, we hear from Western Health's Elder Abuse Prevention and Response Liaison Officer Carla Wilkie and social worker Kellie Plasajec.
Carla talks about the different forms of elder abuse and describes how it usually occurs at the hands of adult children. She also explains how ageism – negative and limiting social attitudes towards older people – is a contributing factor to elder abuse.
Kellie covers safety planning for patients experiencing elder abuse and some of the complicating factors to consider including mobility and age-related health issues that might make leaving a dangerous situation harder. Both Carla and Kellie advocate centring impacted patients as the expert of their own situation.
This podcast includes descriptions of elder abuse – a form of family violence – and may be upsetting to some listeners. If you have experienced elder abuse, you can call 1800ELDERHelp (1800 353 374) for information and advice.
For more information, visit http://familyviolence.wh.org.au (http://familyviolence.wh.org.au/)
11 Dec 2022
Family violence – escalation during pregnancy and impact on children
Content warning: domestic abuse and family violence.
For many women, finding out that they are pregnant or welcoming a new baby into the world marks an exciting new phase of their lives. But for some, pregnancy can be a dangerous time – with the abusive and controlling behaviour of their partners turning violent, or existing violence in a relationship escalating particularly if the pregnancy is unplanned or unwanted.
In this episode, we again hear from Assunta Morrone – Manager, Strengthening Hospital Responses to Family Violence at Western Health – who talks about family violence during pregnancy; why it’s a time of greater risk; and the association with negative health outcomes for the foetus, mother and child.
Assunta shares how children can be direct or indirect targets of family violence; the long-term impacts of childhood trauma; and how important it is for clinical staff to intervene early.
Both Assunta and senior midwife Emma Greelish provide practical advice about what clinical staff can do if they suspect a pregnant patient or a child is experiencing family violence.
This podcast includes descriptions of family violence and may be upsetting to some listeners. If you have experienced or are at risk of domestic and family violence and/or sexual assault, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
For more information, visit http://familyviolence.wh.org.au (http://familyviolence.wh.org.au/)
5 Dec 2022
Family violence and migrant and refugee women
Content warning: domestic abuse and family violence
Migrant and refugee women – just like non-immigrant Australian women – report forms of violence and control from perpetrators that include physical, sexual, emotional and psychological violence as well as reproductive coercion, financial abuse and controlling behaviours. But migrant and refugee women can experience additional forms of violence and control, and they face particular barriers to accessing services that can help.
In this second episode of If only someone had asked, we meet Dr Yee Man Louie – a victim-survivor, advocate and researcher. Yee Man shares her experience of family violence and how her former husband used her migration status to threaten and destabilise her.
Yee Man also describes presenting to hospital for injuries resulting from family violence and how her husband exploited the fact that English was her second language, taking control of the narrative to the unquestioning healthcare professionals who treated her. Her perspective and insights about what healthcare professionals can do to better support victim-survivors are invaluable.
This podcast includes descriptions of family violence and may be upsetting to some listeners. If you have experienced or are at risk of domestic and family violence and/or sexual assault, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
For more information, visit http://familyviolence.wh.org.au (http://familyviolence.wh.org.au/)
27 Nov 2022
Family violence response
Content warning: domestic abuse and family violence
Are you a health professional? Chances are you have treated or will care for a patient who is a family violence victim survivor.
This podcast provides evidence-based advice from an expert working at one of Australia's largest health services on how best to identify, respond and refer victim survivors.
In the first episode Assunta Morrone, an experienced community development worker covers: Why do perpetrators commit family violence? How do victim-survivors find themselves trapped in relationships with violent partners? What is coercive control and love bombing? And how can health professionals go beyond patching up victim survivors and sending them home when they seek treatment for injuries or medical conditions?
We also hear Beth's (not her real name) harrowing story of family violence, including physical abuse and controlling behaviour, and her experience seeking help at hospital.
This podcast includes descriptions of family violence and may be upsetting to some listeners. If you have experienced or are at risk of domestic and family violence and/or sexual assault, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
For more information, visit http://familyviolence.wh.org.au (http://familyviolence.wh.org.au/)
20 Nov 2022
Trailer
Health professionals are in a unique position to identify and respond to family violence. They’re able to quickly establish trust and rapport with patients seeking treatment for injuries or medical conditions resulting from family violence.
Yet some victim-survivors have found that when they’ve presented to hospital, their experiences of family violence were minimised, medicalised or, worse yet, they were inadvertently silenced.
This Western Health podcast series – If only someone had asked – explores the issue of family violence: what it is and why it occurs; how to identify it when we see it; and how we as a health sector can respond.
We’ll hear from women with lived experience of family violence as well as community and health professionals working to strengthen responses to family violence.
Some of what we cover is harrowing, but there’s hope too. You can make a difference. You can be that someone who asked.
Who showed compassion. Who believed. Who provided someone in danger with what might be that first important step towards safety.
Publishing weekly – subscribe to If only someone had asked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode.
Content warning: domestic abuse and family violence. 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732 (https://www.1800respect.org.au/).
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