Elderly South Australians need stronger laws to protect against abuse in residential care and private homes, a parliamentary committee says.
"Every case of elder abuse is one too many. Every individual case is a violation of basic human rights and a betrayal of trust," the committee's presiding member Nat Cook says.
Most perpetrators were either a family member, friend or carer which added "a particularly painful dimension" to the problem, Ms Cook said on Wednesday.
The committee's report estimates elder abuse will cost Australia's healthcare system more than $350 million by 2025 as the population ages rapidly.
It recommends a dedicated elder abuse prevention unit with investigative powers be set up to stop abuse like that found at Adelaide's Oakden nursing home.
An inquiry by SA's chief psychiatrist, uncovered rough handling of patients, an excessive use of restraints, and a concerning level of injuries at the home which has since been closed.
"The committee learned that elder abuse does not have to be deliberate, it can be inadvertent, based on ignorance or misunderstanding and includes neglect," the report said.
Ms Cook said the public was shocked at the revelations that frail dementia patients were mistreated at Oakden.
"These examples have brought elder abuse into prominence in the worst possible way," she said.
The committee also recommended better co-ordination between state and federal governments to help deal with abuse, including a national mandatory reporting system to ensure victims didn't fall through the cracks.
However, the report found that elder abuse remained largely a hidden problem as most occurred in private homes, not institutions.
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