World Elder Abuse Awareness day on 15th June 2018 aims to raise awareness and prevent elder abuse.
We published an earlier blog highlighting the different forms of elder abuse and the vulnerability of the older population.
The Safeguarding Adults Collection Annual Report for England for 2016-17 confirmed that there were 364,605 concerns of abuse raised during 2016-17 which equates to just under 1,000 concerns per day. During this period 151,160 formal safeguarding enquiries were commenced.
Action on Elder Abuse is the only charity in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that deals with abuse of the elderly.In 2017 their research found that almost 10% of older people said they had been abused in some way which would suggest that one million elderly people in the UK may be victims of abuse.
In the recent report, “A Patchwork of Practice“, the charity has highlighted the gaps in official statistics which make it impossible to confirm how many reports of possible criminal abuse or neglect actually involved police intervention, despite the Care Act placing a duty on councils to involve other agencies.
The key concerns highlighted were:
- 58% of abuse concerns across England were not investigated under Section 42, but would have been if they had occurred in one of the top 10 performing local authorities.
- There is enormous variation among councils when it comes to determining whether a concern merits a full investigation under Section 42 of the Care Act. As an illustration, in Warwickshire (lowest), 464 people per 100,000 aged 65+ were the subject of a Section 42 enquiry. But in Calderdale (highest), this rises to an astonishing 17,453 per 100,000.
- Authorities are responding to vastly different types of abuse. For instance, in Trafford, 72% of inquiries concerned neglect, while in Wakefield physical abuse cases accounted for 54% of inquiries.
- The locations where abuse is investigated varied dramatically: in Hackney, 75% of abuse occurred at homes, while in the East Riding of Yorkshire, 59% occurred in residential care homes.
It is imperative to raise awareness, a focus being placed on an improved standards of care provided to the elderly as a preventative measure and where risk and / or abuse is identified a clear and consistent safeguarding policy nationwide.
At Ramsdens we have a specialist team who deal with elder abuse. We have successfully obtained compensation for those injured, in particular due to abuse and neglect in care homes. We can provide support to the family and can assist in providing any rehabilitation to the injured person.Our Court of Protection team can also provide assistance by being appointed as professional deputies or attorneys to ensure that the finances and property of those injured are secure and protected. They will make arrangements to ensure that where possible any day to day payments are made (such as care fees) so that those injured do not have anything further to worry about. If elder abuse has affected you or your loved ones please contact the Ramsdens Abuse Team or Court of Protection Team for a confidential discussion on 01484 821 500, email info@ramsdens.co.uk or text LAW to 67777