World Elder Abuse Day highlights plight
Since July last year, Age Concern in Invercargill has dealt with 197 elder abuse cases.
Manager Janette Turner said the cases were mainly financial and psychological.
Age Concern has also had a further 500 referrals.
‘‘It’s people taking advantage of older people who can’t consent,’’ Turner said.
Recently, Age Concern had a case with a client named Mary*, who found out that her daughter had taken her money.
Mary’s eyesight was failing, so she had given her daughter access to her account so she could pay her bills.
However, when Mary went to the bank, she realised all of her money had been taken.
Mary’s daughter and her boyfriend were living with Mary at the time, and neither contributed to household expenses.
Turner said Age Concern eventually managed to get Mary to cancel her daughter’s access to her bank account but it took a lot of reassurance.
‘‘We had to get her to trust us first.’’
Turner said they often see elders manipulated by people closest to them, with 70 per cent of cases involving manipulation by family members.
She said some people seem to think that once someone hits the age of 65, it means they can take advantage of them.
‘‘It’s like because their parents have gone into care, it’s their turn to take what they want.’’
Cases can often take up to three years to solve and leave psychological damage on elders.
Today is World Elder Abuse Day, and one in 10 elders will experience abuse.
Turner wanted to stress that people should check on elders close to them, particularly if they notice changes in their behaviour.
* Name changed for privacy