Take abuse of elderly seriously

At Action on Elder Abuse, we read your recent story regarding the significant increase in the number of older people in Kent and Medway being abused, with interest.

Although the chairman of the Kent and Medway Safeguarding Adults Board suggested the figures could be “highly inflated” because of new reporting obligations placed on the council, our research suggests otherwise.

Our data on the prevalence of elder abuse in the population suggests around 13,400 older people in Kent and Medway are currently being abused each year – more than four times as many as the 3,906 people subject to safeguarding enquiries in the area.

This is in line with national figures regarding the significant scale of elder abuse; in 2014/15 63% of all adult safeguarding referrals reported nationally related to older people, a proportion rising year-onyear.

We’re also concerned many adult safeguarding referrals are handled by social care departments alone, with very few reaching the police or courts.

Our research shows, despite an estimated 413,500 people aged 65 or over in England and Wales experiencing some form of abuse each year – ranging from neglect and fraud to physical and sexual assaults – in 2015-16 there were just 3,012 successful criminal convictions - representing just 0.7% of total prevalence. This means it is likely 99% of those who abuse older people are going unpunished.

This situation cannot be allowed to continue. We are campaigning for abuse of older people to be classed as an aggravated crime, so the police and our justice system are forced to take it more seriously. More at www.elderabuse.org.uk. Gary FitzGerald chief executive, Action on Elder Abuse, London