ELDER ABUSE HITS CLOSE TO HOME

Luciane from Johnsonville

ELDER ABUSE HITS CLOSE TO HOME

Over the recent months of COVID-19, a small percentage of older people have experienced more vulnerability to elder abuse and neglect. At Age Concern, we are focusing on why ‘Elder Abuse hits close to home’, and how Age Concerns work to reduce the harmful effects of this often-hidden issue on older people in our society.

Elder abuse and neglect is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. Elder abuse is a violation of Human Rights and a significant cause of injury, illness, lost productivity, isolation, and despair.

Elder abuse is classified into different types. The abuse experienced by an older person / kaumātua usually involves more than one type of abuse. In the cases seen by Age Concern’s Elder Abuse services in the past year:
• Psychological abuse
• Financial abuse
• Physical abuse
• Neglect
• Self-neglect

More than half of abused older people are over the age of 75. Forty per cent of abused older people live alone and more than half of alleged abusers are adult children or grandchildren. In more than two out of five cases the alleged abusers live with the older person.
There are simple things we can do to be kind and prevent abuse:
• Love and cherish your older relatives
• Phone, zoom or facetime older people
• Visit older people in your neighbourhood.
• Involve older people in your social activities.
• Encourage older people to make their own decisions.
• Support older people to use their money for their needs.
• Honour older people’s wisdom.
• Enable older people to set their own pace.
• Speak respectfully and listen to older people’s stories.
• Seek advice from any Elder Abuse Service or Age Concern if you think an older person is being abused or neglected.

Age Concern Wellington is a charity and relies on the support of volunteers and public donations to do much of the work we do. To help us help older people, please consider making a donation of your time or money. Every donation, no matter the size, will make a remarkable difference: you can mail a cheque to the address at the bottom of this newsletter, or donate online by clicking going to. www.acwellington.org.nz...