Prevention Of Abuse Of The Elderly

Abuse of the elderly is the singular, or repeated action, or the lack of it, in a relationship where trust is expected, resulting in the elderly experiencing pain and confusion. The ill-treatment of seniors is a world problem and it comes in many forms: psychological, physical, sentimental, sexual and economic abuse. Also, neglect is a form of abuse, whether it's intentional or not.  According to research on a help-line in France, 75 percent of the victims were women over 79 years of age and unable to fight back.  

In 2005, research in Holland showed that 41 percent of the victims were physically abused, 37 percent were exploited, 18 percent were victims of neglect, 12 percent were denied basic rights and three percent were abused sexually. The abuse can happen anywhere, but it appears that it's more frequent in the house, in closed institutions and in the social environment of seniors. The violence to the elderly is slowly being recognized by the international community, and June 15 has been dedicated as a global day against violence to the elderly.

The research for this subject is still in the mapping stages as far as the extent of the problem and recognizing the danger factors.  

Combating Strategies

On National Level

·        Ensure that preventive measures are taken against abuse by financing the social services

·        Empowering the elderly by developing protective services which will ensure their voice is heard

·        The experts on health issues and social services can work together with the professionals who deal with violence in children so that they adopt similar strategies of confrontation.