Older Persons ACT Legal Service (OPALS)

National Elder Abuse Hotline: 1800 ELDERHelp (1800 353 374)

Older Persons ACT Legal Service (OPALS) is a specialist service within Legal Aid ACT. OPALS provides legal help to older people in Canberra. We can help you with legal issues involving elder abuse, enduring powers of attorney, guardianship and financial arrangements with family members. We will also refer you to other services if needed.

We are a confidential legal service, and we will not take any action without your consent first. We are able to assist you by advocating on your behalf with your family or services, through letters or if necessary through mediation and court proceedings. We are very flexible with how we provide our service and understand that a legal issue does not always mean that you need to end up in court.

Please note, while we are able to provide limited advice about wills and estates, we do not assist in drafting or preparing wills.

To find out more about elder abuse, financial arrangements with family members or any other area of law affecting older people, please see our factsheets and resources below.

Contact Us

You can contact the Older Persons ACT Legal Service (OPALS) on 6243 3436 or via email on opals@legalaidact.org.au

OPALS can also be reached on the national hotline: 1800 ELDERHelp (1800 353 374).

Factsheets and Resources

All of our factsheets are intended to be used as a guide only and not as legal advice. Please phone the Legal Aid Helpline 1300 654 314 if you need legal advice. See Legal Advice for more information.

We have developed a number of factsheets on the topic of elder abuse. These factsheets are tailored to individuals as well as community workers with clients who may be experiencing or at risk of elder abuse.

To download these factsheets, click on 'CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD'