Rise in elder abuse worrying 19 Hrs Ago Social Development and Family Services Minister Donna Cox, speaking at the ministry’s webinar on Thursday on elder abuse, noted the sharp recent rise in reported cases. Ms Cox told participants there were 174 reported elder abuse cases for the first five months of 2021, compared to 153 for all of 2020. In 2019, then director of the Division of Ageing Dr Jennifer Rouse warned of the imbalance in the age groups in the population and the elder-abuse reports coming in at a rate of 12 per month. Between January and May, that rate almost tripled to an average of 35 a month.