Sunrise Care Advisers – Helping you navigate through the care system

It’s estimated that in the UK, 1 in 5 people over 60 experience some form of abuse or neglect. That means 2.6 million older people in the UK experience abuse each and every year.

In 2023, Elder Abuse Charities are asking the Government to provide a strategy to tackle Violence Against Older People.

Together, we can ensure that older victim-survivors are protected from abuse, that we intervene when abuse happens and that recovery services are available for those who are impacted.

Here are six reasons that help explain why a strategy to tackle violence against older people is so necessary.

1. The abuse of older people exists and affects millions of people

Despite this, public awareness of the abuse of older people is limited, with research revealing that only 7% of people think of older adults in relation to abuse, compared to 20% of people who think of animals.

Abuse is often portrayed in the media as an issue that only affects younger women, but people of all ages and gender identities experience abuse.

A strategy to tackle Violence Against Older People would help dispel the myth that abuse doesn’t happen to older people and ensure that older victim-survivors are more aware that help is available.

A dedicated strategy forces the government and wider society to have that difficult yet necessary conversation about violence against older people. It’s time to break that taboo and address the problem.

2. The problem is getting worse.

We have an ageing population, the legacy of the pandemic, an ongoing cost of living crisis and a lack of infrastructure to support safer ageing. Older people are victims of physical and sexual assault, yet this remains a taboo.

It’s clear that the abuse of older people is a growing problem, one that needs urgent attention and dedicated support.

3. Physical and sexual abuse is a reality for many older people in the UK.

While many of the cases involve issues around financial/economic and psychological abuse, a worrying proportion of cases involve violence against older people.

Physical and sexual abuse has a detrimental impact on older victim-survivors and their loved ones, resulting in depression, anxiety, fear and increased isolation. Alongside this are physical effects such as reduced mobility due to fractured bones and wounds that can become infected. In some cases, it can even result in the death of a victim.

Older people should be able to age safely and free of violence. The first step is to acknowledge there is a problem and develop a strategy to address it.

4. The abuse of older people is closer to home and more prevalent than you think.

A common myth is that the physical and sexual abuse of older people mostly occurs in care homes and residential care settings. However, most cases actually occur in the victim-survivors own homes.

While abuse does occur in care homes, a strategy for Violence Against Older People must consider the fact that this abuse is often committed in domestic settings.

5. Abuse doesn’t always have to be physical to be violent

Since 2021, just under half (49%) of calls to a helpline involved some form of financial/economic abuse, making it by far the most common form of abuse that is encountered.

Economic abuse is often linked to violence or the threat of violence through forms of abuse such as coercive control, predatory marriage and more.

While economic abuse doesn’t always involve physical violence, the abuse can feel violent to the victim-survivor, resulting in feelings of shame, fear, and a loss of dignity.

6. Older victims of abuse need specialist support services

The abuse of older people requires specialist support services to deal with the unique ways that abuse manifests in later life.

Older victim-survivors can often be reliant on the perpetrator for care needs or as a sole point of social contact. Often, they are in control of victim-survivors’ money, access to food, transport and more.

In addition, the perpetrators are more likely to be family members, leaving victim-survivors reluctant to leave the abusive situation or prosecute.

Sources

Sunrise Care Advisers provides support and care advice to help you navigate through the care system, so you can manage the care needs of elderly relatives.
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