Already grieving the death of his wife, John's life only got worse when he became embroiled in a financial dispute with some members of his extended family over her funeral and their home.

Key points: The WA Government started rolling out its new elder abuse strategy on Monday

The WA Government started rolling out its new elder abuse strategy on Monday It estimates up to 14 per cent of people older than 65 are or have been victims

It estimates up to 14 per cent of people older than 65 are or have been victims Mirrabooka's Older People's Rights Service is one operation tackling the issue

Originally from Egypt, 85-year-old John had little family in his adopted home of Perth and felt isolated and powerless to deal with the legal proceedings sparked by the conflict.

"It was a terrible life," he said.

After being financially crippled by legal bills and stressed by being served court documents, the pensioner picked up a free information calendar at a community centre which turned his life around.

It put him in contact with the Older People's Rights Service in Mirrabooka, where lawyer Vicki Edwards helped him to negotiate a resolution.

She continues to assist John, whose surname cannot be published for legal reasons, to manage the financial relationship with his extended family and assert his legal and financial rights.

Perpetrators of elder abuse are often the victim's children. ( Unsplash: Rawpixel )

He said he now felt like a different person.

"Before I used to be afraid to go to the letterbox to check the letters," he said.

"But after I came here, I bring the letter and get it checked here."

An imbalance of power

Ms Edwards said many elderly people like John found it difficult to handle disputes when there was a power imbalance between the parties, where one side had the financial resources to exercise their legal rights through the courts and the other did not.

What we know about elder abuse: It's estimated between 2 and 14 per cent of older Australians experience elder abuse, but evidence is lacking

It's estimated between 2 and 14 per cent of older Australians experience elder abuse, but evidence is lacking Data suggests most elder abuse is committed by family members of victims

Data suggests most elder abuse is committed by family members of victims Financial abuse is the most common form of elder abuse, according to limited research Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies

Her centre has been at the frontline of tackling elder abuse in Perth's northern suburbs for many years and boasts a lawyer and nurse advocate trained to help people suffering or at risk of elder abuse.

Operations like these will be crucial for the WA Government as it rolls out its new elder abuse strategy, which started on Monday.

It is clear from the strategy there is much work be done in just understanding the nature and extent of the problem, which has gained attention in recent years.

The strategy identifies four priorities:

Raising awareness about elder abuse

Raising awareness about elder abuse Preventing and early intervention in elder abuse

Preventing and early intervention in elder abuse Providing support to victims

Providing support to victims Collecting better data about the prevalence and nature of elder abuse

Often elder abuse resulted from an imbalance of power, with the perpetrators most likely to be the adult children of the victim.

As the strategy acknowledged, people may commit elder abuse without realising it — for example, making financial decisions for an elderly person without asking their consent.

It estimated up to 14 per cent of people older than 65, and Indigenous people older than 55, were or had been victims.

The WA Government started rolling out its new elder abuse strategy from Monday. ( ABC News: Natasha Johnson )

It has adopted the World Health Organisation's definition of elder abuse to educate the community about this growing human rights problem:

"A single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, that occurs in a relationship with an older person where there is an expectation of trust and where that action causes harm or distress to the older person."

In the strategy, the WA Government has committed to reforming and strengthening the guardianship systems, which cover the enduring power of attorney documents many experts said were being exploited.

As well as improving its legal responses to elder abuse, the Government would also look into behaviour change programs for perpetrators of elder abuse, similar to those for domestic violence.

'Nobody talks to you, nobody touches you'

Volunteers at the Older People's Rights Service vouched for the need, identified in the strategy, for programs which promoted positive views of ageing and provided older people with support and information on protecting themselves.

They said older people told them they felt invisible and ignored by society, an isolation which made them vulnerable to elder abuse.

Judy Joukador started the Purple Road project to give older people a voice. ( ABC News: Rebecca Turner )

"There's a strong feeling out there that they don't matter anymore," volunteer Judy Joukador said.

To give people a voice to talk about a sensitive and often embarrassing subject, Ms Joukador began to ask seniors to crochet a purple flower to say "I'm still here".

The Purple Road project has taken on a life of its own in just a few years, with about 20 metres of flowers which have been sent from around Australia that represent about 4,000 conversations about elder abuse.

Each flower represents someone's story or a conversation about elder abuse. ( ABC News: Rebecca Turner )

Ms Joukador and her fellow volunteers joked that they wanted to knit a road all the way to Canberra to get politicians to do more about elder abuse.

"The whole ethos around the purple road is that as you age, you disappear from view," she said.

"Nobody looks at you, nobody talks to you, nobody touches you. A lot of older people are very lonely.

"For a lot of people, this is a way of saying, 'I exist, I'm here, I am a person.'

"I am as unique and individual as every flower if you stop and talk to me."

Another crucial service which had a big impact on reducing the isolation was a regular phone check-in service.

Evaline Bailey, Pauline Simpson and Judy Joukador help seniors to stand up for their rights. ( ABC News: Rebecca Turner )

Every Monday a volunteer hit the phones to have a chat to many of the 350 people, including John, on their list.

His fortnightly call made him feel valued and connected.

"I can say I still feel like a person who is alive," he said.

"Somebody asks about me."