At the mercy of his perpetrator

February 24, 2025

For several months, 66 year old Peter lived between hotels. As he grappled with memory loss and substance use, Peter would rely on the goodwill of hotel owners and acquaintances for shelter. For a while, his trusting nature worked in his favour – that’s until Melanie entered his world. Everything Peter owned was stripped away as he became a victim of elder abuse. 

“Peter has an amazing ability to see the good in people,” says Homelessness Case Worker, Jessica. “So, when Melanie entered his life and offered him a bed in her social housing property, he immediately said yes.” Peter had met Melanie through the hotel he was staying in, and understandably the prospect of a proper home had instant appeal. 

After a few weeks, Melanie asked Peter if he could start paying some rent. Peter agreed and asked her what he needed to do. “Just leave it to me,” Melanie said, “I’ll organise the bank transfer for you.” Peter had no computer literacy, so he was glad that the money transfer process could be taken out of his hands. Little did he know, Melanie had begun transferring herself $1,000 per week.

The abuse kept escalating and Peter became increasingly isolated. Melanie would call herself Peter’s carer as she spoke to the bank on his behalf. She set up online banking for him and tried to access Power of Attorney. “She would ask him to sign documents, saying that they were for something else,” says Jessica. “One day she went to Centrelink with Peter to access his account online and she changed the payment details to her own. From then on, all Peter’s Centrelink payments went to Melanie without him knowing. She took his superannuation too. 

“In total she pocketed $30,000 but it could have been more.” 

One day, Peter received a phone call from the bank because they had noticed some suspicious activity. In that moment, everything clicked, and Peter realised what had been happening. 

Peter immediately approached Melanie. “You’ve been stealing from me,” he said. Melanie said she would “put a hit on him” if he tried to leave and claimed to know a lot of people who could harm him. Peter called the Police, and he was removed from the property and taken to Dom’s Place, our drop-in centre in Hornsby.

“The whole thing happened very slowly, as abuse often does,” says Jessica.

“Peter was so focused on having shelter and finally meeting his basic needs, he didn’t realise that he was experiencing elder abuse.”

Peter received support via Dom’s Place, but Jessica explains that the support was provided remotely. “I would go to him because one of the perpetrators would come to Dom’s Place occasionally. Understandably, he didn’t feel comfortable coming so we would drop over meals, toiletries and other things he needed.”

Peter was supported by CatholicCare’s homelessness team to travel to medical appointments, to access support services and to liaise with hospital staff. “Peter had multiple medical conditions,” Jessica explains. “As well as dealing with memory loss, he had emphysema, chronic leg pain and very limited mobility.”

Peter was also supported to look for a social housing property. He was offered a property but shared with us that he didn’t want to live alone, and he needed additional support. At this point, Peter decided that an aged care facility was what he needed.

The process of getting Peter into aged care was very complex. “He was 66 at the time, and his main source of income was job seeker payments. The age at which someone can access the pension is 67, so Peter wasn’t eligible, and aged care homes don’t want to accept someone who is on job seeker payments. The pension is seen to be a more stable income,” Jessica explains. 

After intensive support and advocacy from CatholicCare, Peter was accepted into an aged care facility where he lives today. “He has made great progress,” says Jessica. “Peter has cut back on smoking and drinking, he has started exercising, his memory has improved, and he has forged a relationship with his sisters. This morning, he told me he had an exercise class to attend. That’s huge! Not long ago I couldn’t get Peter to walk 50 metres.”

At the height of his abuse, Peter was isolated and at the mercy of his perpetrator. His story points to the importance of community and connection, particularly for vulnerable members of our community. 

Peter’s story also sheds light on the gap in aged care services. Eligibility for MyAgedCare services begin at 65, yet the pension age has recently been raised to 67. This left Peter in a position where he could apply for a MyAgedCare package but was unable to access certain services including residential care, as he was not yet receiving the pension.

To the credit of Peter and CatholicCare’s homelessness team, he is now in an environment that meets his needs and provides a space for him to enjoy positive relationships.