Half A Million Old People Suffering Abuse

Abuse of the elderly must be treated with the same seriousness as child abuse, with police receiving special training to protect older people from what has become a “national scandal”, a charity said today.

{mosimage}Help the Aged said half a million older people were neglected or abused at any one time — physically, sexually, or psychologically — but a third of people had not heard of “elder abuse” and almost a quarter had no idea what the signs were.

As The Daily Telegraph reported last week, the largest proportion of abusers are related to the person being abused (46 per cent), with 64 per cent of abuse occurring in the homes of victims.

However, almost a quarter of people surveyed by the charity were under the impression that professional care workers were the ones most likely to carry out abuse.

Only 17 per cent of those surveyed thought that sons and daughters would be most likely to abuse their parents, even though figures show that a quarter of abusers of the elderly are sons or daughters.

Paul Cann, the director of policy at Help the Aged, said: “These figures signal a ‘Not In My Back Yard’ public attitude, fuelling myths that abuse of older people is largely carried out in professional settings and never close to home.

“We know this isn’t the case. Elder abuse can happen anywhere and by anyone, and is more likely to occur within the family home, by someone in a position of trust.

“If more people understood what elder abuse is and its impact on those affected, instead of treating it as a taboo, we’d be one step closer to tackling this national scandal.”

Research suggested that up to 90 per cent of people would want to report abuse if they knew it was taking place, he said.

Help the Aged is today publishing a booklet giving information on “tell-tale signs of abuse” and ways to help. It says signs may include the person becoming unusually withdrawn or depressed or changes in appearance.

The television personality Esther Rantzen, who is leading the campaign, said: “Elder abuse not only has a devastating effect on older people, it shocks and appals their loved ones and the whole nation. What kind of country allows older people to suffer, and looks away? Older people must be protected, abusers must be brought to justice, and it’s up to all of us to make sure this happens.

“We must all be vigilant, recognise the signs and act upon them to protect our vital asset, our older population.”

Help the Aged and Action on Elder Abuse want training in the prevention and recognition of elder abuse to be a mandatory element of all staff training for anyone working with older people, such as doctors, nurses, social workers, and council staff.

The charities also want elder abuse to be treated with the same degree of seriousness and priority as child abuse and adult protection to be a compulsory part of police training.

Help the Aged is raising money to help fund the Action on Elder Abuse response line, a free helpline for anyone worried that an older person is at risk. The helpline is available from 9am to 5 pm on 080 8808 8141.