80% of alleged elder abuse is against victims living at home

EIGHT in every 10 cases of alleged elder abuse take place against victims who are living at home, according to a shocking report.

The research into verbal, physical and psychological abuse against elderly people found only a small proportion of suspected incidents take place in private nursing homes or in public care.

Alleged perpetrators of abuse are mainly relatives who are often coping themselves with serious health issues as well as alcohol or drug problems.

The Health Service Executive report involved 1,840 suspected elder abuse cases. In 82% of cases, the victim was living in their own home.

In other cases, the alleged abuse took place in a private nursing home (6%), a public care setting (4%) and a relative’s home (5%).

The report concluded that 30% of alleged perpetrators of advanced or completed cases had health-related issues. These included alcohol, drugs, and mental and physical problems.

Alleged abusers were consistent across all areas of the country and often involved a close relation. In 83% of cases abuse involved a family member.

HSE elder abuse officer Sarah Marsh said often the abuse could have been ongoing for years: “There’s historical difficulties sometimes in families, patterns of abuse that can be intergenerational. If there is domestic violence in the family, it won’t stop on your 56th birthday. It goes into your old age with you.”

The HSE report shows the overall number of alleged abuse cases doubled since 2007. Of the 792 cases completed or at an advanced stage, 11% had involved gardaí.

Only a small number of cases resulted in legal action, as well as barring orders against alleged perpetrators.

In a large proportion of cases, victims were offered follow-up services by the HSE, including counselling and home support.