Elder abuse 'affecting thousands'

Hundreds of thousands of elderly people are being abused in their own homes, research is expected to suggest.

The problem of elder abuse has been known for some time, but the study, funded by the government and charity Comic Relief, suggests its prevalence.

In eight out of 10 cases, the abuse is carried out by a person the elderly person trusts the most, such as a partner or family member, it will say.

It is usually physical abuse or neglect and sometimes financial mistreatment. A quarter of cases involved money being stolen from the elderly victim, the independent two-year study is expected to find.

It will also suggest that in half of elder abuse cases the victim lives in the same home as the perpetrator.

One woman, told the BBC she had tried to raise the alarm after seeing an elderly friend suffer abuse.

"We believe he was abused, neglected and financially ripped off by a member of his family," she said.

She said a relative meant to be caring for the man had instead stolen tens of thousands of pounds from him.

She said she contacted doctors and social services after seeing her elderly friend and his home deteriorate.

"We couldn't get through the red tape," she said. "We couldn't get people to listen.

"It's such a hot potato - people don't want to be involved with it."

The man, who was a war veteran, died aged 90.

A study by Help the Aged earlier this year suggested half a million elderly people in the UK were suffering some form of abuse or neglect.

They faced physical, emotional, sexual or financial mistreatment, its survey suggested.

BBC