The World Health Organization defines Elder abuse as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. This type of violence constitutes a violation of human rights and includes physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse; financial and material abuse; abandonment; neglect; and serious loss of dignity and respect. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is observed every year on 15 June to raise voice for the elders who are abused and suffered.

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Key facts:

• Around 1 in 6 people 60 years and older experienced some form of abuse in community settings during the past year.
• Rates of elder abuse are high in institutions such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with 2 in 3 staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year.
• Elder abuse can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences.
• Elder abuse is predicted to increase as many countries are experiencing rapidly ageing populations.
• The global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion in 2050.
• More than 71 per cent of senior citizens in India face harassment or humiliation by their own family members, relatives or children, a study has revealed.

Factors contributing to increased Elder abuse:

• Poor financial status of family: Lower income or poverty has been found to be associated with elder abuse. Low economic resources have been conceptualized as a contextual or situational stressor contributing to elder abuse.
• Health care costs increase: As older people stop working and their health care needs increase, governments could be overwhelmed by unprecedented costs
• Lack of space: Living with a large number of household members other than a spouse is associated with an increased risk of abuse, especially financial abuse.
• interpersonal issues
• Chronic diseases of older persons: At the individual level, elders who have poor physical and mental health are at higher risk.
• Elderly women issues: They face life time of gender-based discrimination. The gendered nature of ageing is such that universally, women tend to live longer than men. Social mores inhibit women from re-marrying, resulting in an increased likelihood of women ending up alone.
• Declining moral value system: At the socio-cultural level, a representation of an older person as weak and dependent, lack of funds to pay for care, elderly people who need assistance but live alone, and destruction of bonds between the generations of a family are possible factors in elder abuse.

Significance of Adult Protective Services:

• Adult Protective Services (APS) are social services provided to abused, neglected, or exploited older adults and adults with significant disabilities.
• APS is typically administered by local or state health, aging, or regulatory departments and includes a multidisciplinary approach to helping older adults, and younger adults with disabilities, who are victims.
• Services range from the initial investigation of mistreatment, to health and supportive services and legal interventions, up to and including the appointment of surrogate decision-makers such as legal guardians.
• Socio-economic and cultural changes like
  • Disintegration of Joint Family system which was earlier responsible for taking care of elderly.
  • Increased participation of women in work has led to lack of caregivers at home for elderly.
  • Enhanced mobility and migration of youth for work opportunities along-with more individualistic attitude of the youth means that the elderly are living alone and are in need of social assistance.
• Increased longevity of the elderly due to advancement in medical field means that they are in need of social assistance long after they stop earning.
• Due to presence of vast informal/unorganised sector in India, most of the elderly does not have subscription to any formal pension/income generating system that can provide them resources to meet their daily needs, the APS is thus imperative.

Preventive Measures needed:

• Public: Watch for signs of elder abuse
• Older people: staying connected with family and friends, making sure their financial and legal affairs are in order.
• Family and informal caregivers: lower their risk of committing abuse by getting help from family or friends, by getting support from local health and social services.
• Health sector: Raise awareness within the health sector and other sectors about the health and social burden of elder abuse; recognize elder abuse as a public health problem
• Establish a focal point to address elder abuse, develop and test evidence based interventions to prevent elder abuse.
• Provide services to victims of elder abuse; collaborate with other sectors to address elder abuse, such as criminal justice, health, and social services.
• Implementation of laws like Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 to ensure that the rights of senior citizens are protected.
• Government programs like IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana, Rasthriya Vayoshri Yojana, Atal Pension Scheme, Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana must be implemented and ensured that the true beneficiaries are receiving it.

Conclusion:

The elderly should be seen as a blessing, not a burden. The elderly are becoming the fastest growing, but underutilized resource available to humanity. Rather than putting them aside, physically (and mentally), to be cared for separately, they should be integrated into the lives of communities where they can make a substantial contribution to improving social conditions. The benefits of turning the ‘problem’ of the elderly into a ‘solution’ for other social problems are being demonstrated in several countries like Vietnam, Japan etc.