World
Elder Abuse Awareness Day – June 15th
In order
to raise awareness of this unfortunate topic and societal issue, an international
awareness day will be held every year on June 15th.
Abuse
of the elderly has been highlighted as an unfortunate byproduct of our
so-called civilized society now. Our aging population is growing,
and with our modern society less inclined to care for their elderly at
home, more old people have found themselves left to the care of nursing
homes. Whilst the majority of senior care facilities are professional,
scrupulous and caring places……unfortunately not all are! Elderly
care is a huge money-making business, and staffing is an on-going issue,
with some establishments having a high turnover of staff.
Elder
abuse can take many forms, be it physical, psychological, financial or
just plain old neglect. The health service has come under criticism
for its role in the poor care of elderly people admitted to hospitals,
who are discharged without regard for their care at home, or worse still
neglected in a senior care ward.
Awareness
of the threat of elderly abuse has risen in the last year or so, largely
due to media exposure of cases of elderly abuse and declining standards
in our health service. Over 2,000 cases of elderly abuse were reported
to the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2009, an increase of nearly 13%
on the previous year.
In
contradiction to the media coverage of elderly abuse without the health
service or private care homes, the Irish College of General Practitioners
presented statistics at their annual conference alleging that 95% of cases
actually occur within the old person’s home. According to their data
65% of the alleged victims were female and 50% were over 80 years of age.
As
a society we have such a surge in our over 65 population that we must change
our attitudes towards how we care and protect those who can become as vulnerable
as young children in their twilight years. We all consider it totally
shocking to hear of a case of child abuse, where an innocent, vulnerable
child has become a victim. Elder abuse is no different - it
is important for all of us, as a society, to protect our elderly.
If you suspect an old person you know may be a victim, take action and
report it!
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