What we want
Half a million older people are believed to face abuse at any one time in the UK. It is a human right to live free from harm and to be treated with dignity.
What we are calling for
Our campaign to stop elder abuse is a long-term strategy. We have six objectives we believe will make this possible.
- Greater awareness
- More and better training
- Equal priority for elder abuse and child abuse
- Effective regulation and inspection
- Greater awareness in the legal profession
- Support and empowerment of older people
Greater awareness
Over time we hope to achieve a change in society’s attitudes to older people and their treatment.
We want increased awareness of the nature and scale of elder abuse and of what people should do if they suspect that an older person is being abused.
Why this is important: If people can recognise the signs of elder abuse, they can take action to stop it. Help the Aged believes that confusion around how to recognise, respond and take action on abuse means it could remain undetected and unreported by many people.
More and better training
Raising awareness of elder abuse amongst professionals enables them to take action against it.
We want training in the prevention, recognition and management of elder abuse to be a basic element of all staff training for anyone who has a frontline role working with older people: for example care agency staff, doctors, nurses, council staff and social workers.
Why this is important: This would increase the access to and quality of help for those affected by elder abuse. Awareness-raising with professionals who go into people’s homes can help to increase early detection of abuse and ensure older people are protected.
Equal priority for elder abuse and child abuse
Sending a clear message to older people, care workers and care providers, local authorities, the police and the public at large.
We want the issue of elder abuse to be taken seriously and to learn from the experience of other experts in protecting another vulnerable groups.
Why this is important: Child protection legislation is widely understood to be serious, binding and rigorously enforceable. But adult protection systems are currently under-resourced and poorly enforced. As a result elder abuse cases are not always dealt with as effectively as they should be. This impacts on the older people who try to access the system, and leaves those professional experts trying to tackle abuse isolated.
Effective regulation and inspection
Improved protection from abuse for older people through the regulatory and inspection systems of health and social care.
We want strengthened national minimum standards and performance indicators for care; the integrated regulator for health and social care to place elder abuse at the top of its agenda; and The Healthcare Commission to oversee an annual “health check” on adult protection.
Why this is important: More effective enforcement by the regulators and delivery of best practice across the sector.
Greater awareness in the legal profession
Perpetrators of elder abuse are rarely pursued through the justice system and successful prosecutions are very rare. Elder abuse is not recorded separately within crime statistics so tracking it is also difficult.
All levels of the police and judiciary need to be better equipped and trained to understand, detect and act against elder abuse. This includes rank and file police, solicitors, the Crown Prosecution Service and probation staff.
Why this is important: Increased awareness will increase protection and accountability for older people and prosecutions for elder abuse offences. This would improve justice for older people, act as a deterrent to would-be abusers and encourage older people to report abuse.
Support and empowerment of older people
Increased awareness amongst older people of what is unacceptable treatment and what support is available.
We want increased availability of high quality independent advocacy services for older people; older people who manage their own care to be informed of their right to have potential carers that they employ checked; and increased awareness of the potential of the Human Rights Act.
Why this is important: Understanding what constitutes abuse, and the support available, will help more older people to speak out.
What is Help the Aged doing?
- Campaigning for change - lobbying government and other organisations to achieve progress on our six policy objectives.
- Raising awareness with the general public through the media, through community organisations, churches, Trade Unions and corporate partners.
- Helping to fund the Action on Elder Abuse helpline.
- Providing training on how to recognise the signs of elder abuse for all Help the Aged staff who have a frontline role with older people.
- Producing information materials aimed specifically at older people and the general public.
- Giving training to older people on money management, teaming up with Barclays for the Your Money Matters programme.
Elder abuse occurs when an older man or woman is harmed, mistreated or neglected.
