Age Concern: Elderly abuse figures just tip of iceberg

An elderly Whangarei man is living in a sleepout after being forced from the home he helped his son to buy.
That case is just one example of elderly abuse in Northland, with the abuse generally coming from sons and daughters, according to Amanda Vun of Whangarei Age Concern.
Ms Vun, the organisation's elder abuse and neglect prevention services co-ordinator, said up to four percent of seniors being cared for by others in Northland were known to experience abuse, but that figure was "just the tip of the iceberg".
Ms Vun said elderly people often put up with the abuse because the alternatives - including fear of being alone or not seeing their families - were worse in their eyes.
A report by Age Concern's Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Service nationwide found that sons and daughters are responsible for 40 percent of elderly abuse cases in New Zealand.
The report, which analyses 1288 cases of elder abuse from 2002-04, also found that 15 percent of abusers were partners and 10 percent caregivers and community workers. Women make up 70 percent of those abused. Psychological abuse, 754 cases, is the most common, followed by material or financial (537 instances), physical (253), then neglect. Sexual abuse accounts for 2 percent of cases.
Ms Vun said the vast majority of people who cared for elderly were dedicated, caring people who did the best they could for their charges. However, a small minority could make the lives of the people they were caring for hell.
Ms Vun said it was sad that a service such as hers was needed in Whangarei, but some people did not even acknowledge that the way they were treating those they cared for was abuse.
"The report's findings really just confirmed what we know. Abuse of the elderly is out there and it's been fairly consistent for some years," she said. "It's important to note that it's just a small minority of (caregivers) who abuse the elderly, but for those being abused it can be very nasty."
Financial abuse was a real problem and Ms Vun cited a case in Whangarei where an elderly man had sold up his house to invest in a property with his son so he could live there too.
But after a while their relationship broke down and the father was moved into a sleepout. He lost all rights to the house as he had no legal agreement with the son outlining his share.
She said carers often justified financial abuse with the belief that they were "entitled to the money anyway. Or that mum or dad doesn't need it. Or that it's their inheritance anyway so why not have it now. Or that it's owed to them because they are caring for mum or dad ... But there are no excuses at all," Ms Vun said.
Often the abuse was out of frustration due to the elderly person's condition deteriorating without the carer getting any extra help.
"It's not necessarily nasty people committing the abuse, but just people who can't cope with the pressure."
Age Concern could help carers access additional support if it was needed.
Phone Age Concern on 438-8043.