Responding to Elder Abuse

The numbers of older people in the population of the UK are increasing dramatically. Since the
1930s, the number of people aged over 65 has more than doubled. Today, a fifth of the population
is over sixty. By 2025, the number of people over the age of 80 is set to increase by almost a
half and the number of people over 90 will double.

Elder abuse is only just becoming recognised as a specific problem within the whole context of
abuse, and as yet it is given less credence than it deserves. Though there have been no recent
quantitative research studies that give an accurate picture of the numbers and characteristics of
older abused people, research by Age Concern in 1991 set the probable figure of 5-9 %. Even at a
conservative estimate this works out to over 500,000 people over 65 years.

For the Recognising and Responding to Elder Abuse in Residential Care Settings DVD click on

www.hse.ie

For more details please read the full document