Charity launches national campaign to raise awareness of elder abuse

Action on Elder Abuse (AEA) has launched a campaign calling for elder abuse to be made an aggravated criminal offence, after research revealed the Criminal Justice System is 'consistently failing' to deliver justice to older people who are increasingly experiencing abuse, theft and neglect.

The charity's recent report, published to coincide with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, catalogued 23 cases of elder abuse, whereby most perpetrators were let off with a caution, despite the circumstances of the abuse.

Gary FitzGerald, chief executive of AEA, said: “Elder abuse is a crime and it’s long overdue for it to be treated as one. The UK has slipped far behind other countries in this regard, and we are allowing perpetrators to act with impunity.

"This has to stop. We have to send a clear message to these people that crimes against older people will no longer be tolerated or treated leniently.

“I have no doubt that the Government will argue that we already have enough laws. And I am sure they will argue that a crime of elder abuse risks belittling the ability of most older people to protect themselves.

"It’s time they stopped treating our elderly, frail mums and dads as second class citizens.”

According to AEA, between 500,000 and 800,000 older people in the UK experience abuse each year, with physical abuse and neglect the most common types of abuse reported.

Following a series of Freedom of Information requests, AEA learned that most agencies, including: the police, the courts system, and the Ministry of Justice, ‘fail to keep any significant records’ of the experiences of older people.

Of the 28,000 cases investigated by police in 2013-14, 3,317 were passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). One police force admitted that it investigated 76 cases in a year and issued a police caution in each case.

Action on Elder Abuse believe police cautions are used as a quick and cheap way to deny access to courts, which often deliver sentences that are ‘too lenient’ and ‘fail’ to act as a deterrent.

The charity is now calling for a new aggravated offence of elder abuse to cover physical, sexual, financial and psychological abuse, as well as neglect, with statutory minimum sentences for perpetrators, which courts may extend when necessary, as well as a requirement for mandatory reporting of suspected elder abuse.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Any abuse of older people is completely unacceptable, whatever form it may take and whoever the perpetrator may be.

"Whatever the circumstances, we worry that many instances of abuse or neglect of older people go unreported so we would encourage anyone who suspects that an older person is at risk to contact their social services department or the police without delay."

For more information and advice visit: http://elderabuse.org.uk/ or http://www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/relationships-and-family/protecting-yourself/what-is-elder-abuse/