A HELPLINE for older people has seen a trebling in the percentage of calls received from victims of elder abuse.

THE co-ordinator of a national helpline for the elderly has asked members of the public to be vigilant about checking in with their housebound or elderly neighbours during the dark and often bleak month that is January.

Most of the country's health boards have yet to appoint case officers to deal with the 20,000 elderly people believed to be victims of abuse, writes Pat Brosnan.

IT’S fun for the young, but Halloween can be a nightmare for many older people.