Abuse of the elderly - We can no longer say we do not know

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and there is a conference at University College Dublin to mark the occasion. In January, the Irish Examiner disclosed that the existing 26 elder abuse officers reported 927 cases of elder abuse in the second half of 2007.

As part of her doctoral studies Amanda Phelan of UCD’s School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems interviewed 18 community care nurses on two occasions during a five-month period last year. Each of the nurses admitted encountering at least two cases of abuse involving elderly people. In some instances it took some time to identify that elder abuse was involved.

Although the scandal of elder abuse made national headlines with the exposure of conditions at the Leas Cross nursing home, 88% of the complaints last year related to people living at home.