Experts plead for new research into elder abuse as pressure on informal carers mount
Experts believe that a growing number of elderly people are becoming victims of abuse. The aging population and staff shortages in healthcare mean that more is falling on the shoulders of informal carers, and it is known that overwhelm can increase the risk of violence, they told the Telegraaf. The experts call for a new study into elder abuse.
The last study on this topic was conducted seven years ago. At that time, about one in 20 elderly people faced abuse. But the situation has changed considerably since then, Judith Kuypers of the National Network for Safe at Home (LNVT) told the newspaper.
“There are more and more elderly people, and they’re living at home longer and longer,” Kuypers said. “At the same time, there’s less professional care and more responsibility falls on informal caregivers.” According to her, it’s known that when someone is overworked and overwhelmed, the risk of violence increases.
Remarkably, there has been no increase in reports of elder abuse. “Of the annual reports of abuse we receive, only 2 percent involve elder abuse,” Kuypers told the newspaper. “That’s unrealistic. We know it’s much more common.”
One of the problems is that older people are often isolated and rarely report abuse themselves, either because they are unable to or because they don’t want to get their children in trouble. With child abuse, teachers and coaches, for example, can notice bruises. But with isolated elderly victims, the circle of people who can sound the alarm is much smaller.
Kees Blankman, a professor of Legal Protection for the Elderly at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, also advocates for new research. According to him, abuse of the elderly is a growing problem that deserves much more attention.
