The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Loneliness crisis leaves elderly open to scams
Some pensioners are so desperate to talk to someone they are ideal prey
A “crisis of loneliness” is leading to the financial abuse of the elderly, according to a Fife-based charity.
Action on Elder Abuse Scotland believes some vulnerable pensioners are being targeted because they simply have no one else to talk to.
There have even been cases where elderly people have refused to condemn people who have stolen cash from them because they still want to believe they have found a friend.
In an attempt to tackle the growing problem it is now to launch a pilot peersupport project in Fife.
Charity director Lesley Carcary said: “An older person may have no one else to speak to so will quite easily engage with someone who may in fact be trying to exploit them.
“So loneliness is a big issue in terms of reasons why older people may be targets.
“They build relationships with people who might be trying to scam or exploit them. We are fighting what appears to be a crisis of loneliness.”
The charity has secured funds from the Robertson Trust for the pilot, which it hopes to launch later this year.
It will provide a trained volunteer for pensioners who have been victims of abuse to help rebuild their confidence and independence.
Ms Carcary said: “The intention is that they recover from the experience and move on.”
This could involve encouraging them to go to the cinema or sign up to a group.
“Basically, we want to give them confidence they can do things on their own,” Mrs Carcary continued.
“If that person becomes physically and mentally strong through the support we have given them then they are less likely to experience abuse again.”
The charity receives around 25,000 calls a year across the UK, but believes that figure is “just the tip of the iceberg” as many victims don’t want to report it.
“We still hear of cases where someone may have thousands of pounds stolen from them but still don’t blame the person who did it because they think that person is their friend.
“There’s also the embarrassment involved if it’s a family member who is stealing from or abusing them – it may be their grandchild and they don’t want to report them,” she said.
During a meeting with the director, local MP Douglas Chapman said his eyes had been opened to the abuse which can happen to older people, “whether it was physical, psychological or financial.”
For confidential advice or support on the issue call the Elder Abuse Helpline on freephone 080 8808 8141.
An older person may have no one else to speak to so will quite easily engage with someone who may, in fact, be trying to exploit them
It is – tragically – perhaps not surprising to learn ruthless scam artists are targeting vulnerable elderly people. However, for it to be suggested that some old folk are simply so desperate for company they will ignore the fact they may be the victim of ruthless con artists is truly heartbreaking.
We all have a responsibility to care for the older members of society – a fact brought home in stark fashion by Action on Elder Abuse Scotland.
In this technological age of 24-hour emails and all the attendant pressures of modern day life, it can be hard to find the time to think about those seeing out lonely lives behind closed doors.
Many can go days without human contact so it is perhaps hardly surprising they crave the attention given to them during all-too-rare phone calls.
It is tragic to think that their desperation to find a fellow human being to talk to is being exploited in such an utterly heartless way.
However painful it is to consider, Elder Abuse Scotland are quite right to raise the issue – and better still they have a potential solution. The peer support network suggested by the charity could play a vital role in not only protecting vulnerable elderly people from scammers, but also in providing the human contact they yearn for.
We should all do everything in our power to support their aims.