Abuse: What Government working group advisedCase study
Eilis (73) lives about three miles from the nearest town in a remote area. She has no electricity or heating and walks to the town to do her shopping.
Her husband left her over 30 years ago and she lost contact with him a long time ago. She thinks he is now dead. Her brothers and sisters are also dead and she does not have any relatives to talk to.
About every two months, Eilis calls the Action on Elder Abuse's helpline in England to talk about her son. She does not have a phone, but it is thought that she may use the phone of a neighbour who occasionally helps her.
Her son lives in Dublin and travels to see his mother whenever he runs out of money. This seems to trigger her calls to the helpline. At first, when he arrives, he is friendly and caring and tidies the house. Then he begins to demand money, gets drunk and hits his mother.
He goes back to Dublin after about two weeks when she no longer has any money to give him.
Eilis won't talk to anyone in Ireland. She is embarrassed to tell anyone what her son is doing. She says she is afraid to approach the health board in case they call the gardaí or take her home from her. She finds it better to talk to a voice on the end of a phone that will listen but which doesn't try to take over the situation.
The helpline has been working with Eilis for over a year and believe they are slowly getting her to see that the problem is with her son and not any failing on her part. The helpline hopes to eventually give her the confidence to talk to someone in her area about what is happening.
*Eilis's name and some details have been changed to protect her privacy.
Alison Healy
A British helpline on abuse of the elderly has received more than 500 calls from this State in recent years, according to unpublished figures seen by The Irish Times.
The confidential Action on Elder Abuse helpline regularly receives calls from Irish people who are being physically, psychologically, financially or sexually abused. Abuse could range from slapping or restraining to withholding pension payments or depriving a person of medication.
Physical abuse accounts for about 35 per cent of calls, while financial abuse accounts for 20 per cent. Calls from this State now account for 5 per cent of calls to the helpline, while Northern Ireland callers account for a further 2 per cent of calls.
Between April 1997 and October 2002, more than 700 people from this island called the helpline. It received more than 10,000 calls from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales during that time. Some 5,273 related to direct abuse, while the remainder were seeking information.
Of the 5,273 calls, abuse in the home accounted for two thirds of calls, with institutions accounting for 21 per cent.
The pattern of calls has not changed greatly in recent years, but a small increase in calls about sexual abuse has been noted.
These cases now account for 2.9 per cent of calls, compared with 1.4 per cent between 1997 and 1999.
Most calls come from "whistleblowers" who knew that something wrong was happening but did not know what to do about it, said Mr Gary Fitzgerald, Action on Elder Abuse chief executive.
He said the helpline did not expect to get calls from Ireland but once it realised that the demand was there, it changed its website to reflect that the service was available to Irish callers.
"There is quite a lot of fear. People are just frightened and don't know where to turn," he said.
The help line received a call about one Irish nursing home where the nurse and matron disappeared into an office with a bottle of whiskey at 10 p.m. every night and left the patients in the care of unqualified staff for the night.
Calls about abuse in the home usually relate to psychological and financial abuse, he said.
"For example, we might get a call about a son stealing from his mother yet no one else in the family knows about it. It's easy to say that this is theft but how do you tell an 80-year-old pensioner to report her 40 year-old son for stealing?"
Separately, an Irish-based confidential helpline, Senior Helpline, has also expressed concern about the level of reported elder abuse in this State.
Loneliness accounts for 28 per cent of calls but calls about abuse/fear come a close second, accounting for 24 per cent of calls.
National co-ordinator, Ms Mary Nally, said the service regularly heard reports of sons and daughters putting pressure on their elderly parents to sign over their homes.
Alcohol was also a factor in abuse, she said and the helpline always saw an increase in the number of calls over the Christmas. The helpline also expects to record a significant increase in calls concerning loneliness at this time of year.
"It's a very, very lonely time for people who have lost a spouse," she said. The long dark nights and bad weather compounded that feeling of isolation.
Age Action Ireland, which campaigns for the needs of older people, said it was not surprised that calls for help should increase at this time of year.
"Unfortunately, Christmas can be a time of loneliness and tension and heightened abuse within families," said Mr Gerry Scully, information officer with Age Action Ireland.
The Senior Helpline can be contacted at 1850-440 444.
The Action on Elder Abuse helpline can be contacted at 0044-808 808 8141.
A Government-appointed working group on abuse of the elderly made a range of recommendations in a report issued last November.
It called for the setting up of a steering group in all health board areas, as well as the appointment of a health board officer with responsibility for abuse, and support staff.
Clear policies on abuse of the elderly should be introduced at all levels within the health, social and protection services, it said. The report called for a 4.25 million budget for the provision of staff and services, as well as a national centre on research and training. Asked if the recommendations had been implemented, one year on, a Department of Health spokesman said an implementation group had been set up.
It had its first meeting earlier this month and was determined to ensure that the recommendations would be implemented, he said.
"Additional funding has been made available to each of the health boards in the 2004 allocations," he added.