UP TO 4 per cent of the country's elderly population could be suffering abuse, either at home or in institutions. Citing studies in the US, Canada and Britain, a Dublin social worker, Ms Anne O'Loughlin, said there was no reason to believe the figures in Ireland should be any different.
In a presentation on abuse of the elderly, Ms O'Loughlin said abuse could take the form of physical violence, emotional violence, sex abuse or financial exploitation. The figures indicated that, of the 400,000 Irish people over the age of 65, some 10,000 were being subjected to some form of abuse.
Ms O'Loughlin said there were five underlying causes of abuse of the elderly. They were the transmission of family violence across the generations; dependency of a carer or relative on the older person because of unemployment, mental illnesses etc; alcohol or drug abuse; stress in the life of the abuser; and social isolation.
The national debate which had followed the recent child sex abuse cases had created a climate in which people were now more willing to face up to abuse of the elderly, she added.
Organisations like the IMO could play a vital part in bringing the debate into the public realm. As well as abuse of the elderly in the home, it was probable, again given the results of the studies in Canada, Britain and America, that abuse was also taking place in hospitals, homes for the elderly and other institutions.
Abusers were mainly relatives but relatives also played a significant part in bringing the abuse into the open.