Two groups have highlighted the often-hidden problem of domestic abuse, frequently economic, on people aged 65 and above.
Of those referred to the Yorkshire-based Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS), men account of 23% of all cases, a higher proportion than in other age categories. Approaching half (44%) of male victims are abused by an adult son.
For women victims, that figure is 25.8%. The majority of female victims are abused by a male intimate partner. Overall, most perpetrators are men and most victims are women.
The IDAS said reasons why domestic abuse among older people may be hidden include isolation, limited awareness of domestic and emotional abuse among older people, entrenched gender roles, disability, ill health, and limited access to the internet, transport and support services.
The charity’s older persons domestic abuse worker Kadi Greenwood said: “Everyone has their preconceived ideas about what domestic abuse is. A lot of it is control, a lot of it is emotional abuse and a lot of it is financial, especially among older people.”
The IDAS highlighted the problem ahead of National Elder Abuse Awareness Day on 15 June.
Meanwhile people aged over 60 in Cornwall who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse are being asked to share their views so services can be improved. The Older People’s Project is a partnership between the Women’s Centre Cornwall, Age UK Cornwall, local authorities and Victim Support.
Findings to date show domestic abuse can be devastating for older people, said Jo Higson of Women’s Centre Cornwall. “They don’t always understand what they are experiencing is domestic abuse, and may not think services are for them. One of the big issues is that it’s not always an intimate partner, it can be a family member like adult children or grandchildren,” she was quoted as saying by the BBC.