Elderly abuse victims fear results if they speak out
MORE than a third of elderly Scots would not know who to turn to if they were the victim of abuse, new research has found.
While the majority (73%) of pensioners said they would report incidents involving themselves or someone else, 34% were unaware they could contact police, their local council, a health professional or charity helpline.
Action on Elder Abuse Scotland, which carried out the survey, said that,worryingly, some of those who had reported incidents felt that councils or other agencies had done nothing to help.
Reasons for not reporting abuse included a fear that people would think they were not coping or that they would have to go into a care home.
Others said they were concerned it could exacerbate family tensions, especially if the perpetrator was a relative.
Of those who would report suspected abuse, the majority said they would report to their local council (15%), the police (17%), or a health professional (16%).
However, despite the fact that the majority of councils have dedicated adult protection teams and hotlines to report to, 47% of all respondents did not know about these reporting numbers.
Some elderly people said they felt unable to describe or explain what they were experiencing, es- pecially in cases of emotional and psychological abuse.
Lesley Carcary, Director, Action on Elder Abuse Scotland said: “We know that child protection is given a great deal of attention by the government, media and general public awareness, but Action on Elder Abuse are concerned that adult protection is often side lined.
“Many victims of elder abuse already find it extremely difficult to speak up about their experiences, and this will only be exacerbated by lack of information and discussion around the issue.
“For those who may be aware they are being harmed, a desperate fear of loneliness can often mean they choose to endure it rather than risk being on their own.”
“When asked if they knew of anyone being harmed or abused (or if they were being harmed or abused) if they would report it, 73% of respondents said they would.
“Although responses were not broken down into those reporting about themselves or about someone else, this raises issues around the public’s desire to report elder abuse, but being unaware as to how to report it.
The charity received 201 responses from across Scotland, of which 68% were female and 23% male.
The majority of responses came from those aged 60-69 (45%) and those aged 70-79 (24%).
The results of the survey will be discussed at the charity’s annual conference, which is taking place in Glasgow tomorrow.
For confidential advice about abuse contact the Action on Elder Abuse Helpline on 080 8808 8141.