Over 1,800 cases of elder abuse

Elderly people reported more than 1,800 allegations of abuse to the HSE last year, almost half of which were against their children.

A breakdown of the 1,870 referrals to HSE’s Elder Abuse Services shows self-neglect was recorded in 435 cases. In the remaining 1,435 cases, psychological abuse was the most common hardship at 34 per cent, followed by financial abuse (22 per cent), neglect (20 per cent) and physical abuse 14 per cent.

There was an increase of some 2 per cent in the number of cases reported when compared to 2008.

The figures show that those with a close relationship to the abused are the most likely perpetrators, with sons and daughters accounting for 46 per cent of the allegations, followed by other relatives at 20 per cent and partners, husbands or spouses at 18 per cent.

The HSE said it was working to raise awareness of what elder abuse is and how to report the problem. It said it was working closely with agencies and advocacy groups on the matter.

“Any case of elder abuse is a matter of concern to the HSE,” Paschal Moynihan, HSE Specialist in Services for Older Persons, said.

The review revealed the public health nurse was the main source of referral, with hospital/HSE staff and family being the other major sources.

Age Action said the report was welcome but warned that the figures did not reflect the full scale of the problem.

“International research has shown that between 3 and 5 per cent of older people will experience elder abuse at some stage of the latter years of their lives,” Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said. “If this was true in Ireland, it would mean that between 14,000 and 24,000 older people have been abused.”

Mr Timmins said the shame of being abused by a family member and the fear that a complaint may result in the loss of a carer or a Garda investigation prevented many people from contacting the authorities.

Responding to the report’s findings, the Minister of State for Older People Áine Brady said significant progress has been made in recent years especially the HSE’s Elder Abuse Service, a dedicated and unified service, backed up by a research centre in UCD.

“Using international comparisons we would expect the numbers being referred to the service to increase,” she said. “An increase in referrals shows that people are beginning to trust the service and that is a good thing.”

Older people who feel they are being abused can contact the HSE on 1850 24 1850.