Officers investigating cases of elder abuse have seen 1,500 referrals in the past 12 months, according to figures from the HSE.

The statistics, due to be published today at a conference on elder abuse in Galway, show about 150 of those cases have led to consultation with gardaí.

Analysis of the cases is continuing, but it is understood that 83% of referrals involved people living at home, while in 96% of all cases the alleged abuser was a family member.

Alleged psychological abuse accounted for 29% of cases, followed by neglect (21%), financial (20%) and physical abuse (17%). Community health care staff were the main referrers, doing so in 34% of cases, while other HSE staff accounted for 23% of referrals to elder abuse officers. Family members made just 11% of referrals.

The figures come as every community care nurse interviewed for a new study claimed to have seen evidence of at least two cases of elder abuse. The 18 community care nurses interviewed admitted, while they came across suspected abuse, in many instances they were reluctant to report it.

The nurses, all based in the former Eastern Regional Health Authority and North Eastern HSE areas in and around Dublin, were interviewed twice last year by Amanda Phelan of UCD’s School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health systems, as part of PhD work.

The research by Ms Phelan, who is a national representative for Action on Elder Abuse, also highlights difficulties faced by community care nurses in highlighting possible elder abuse.

While in many cases nurses may become suspicious, they are often reluctant to record it until they have proof, as that record would become a legal document.

The nurses interviewed also said there could be an “apologetic understanding” of abuse as older people were often portrayed in a “dependency framework” and seen as a burden in a way that young children were not.

Ms Phelan also echoed the concerns voiced by some nurses as to the lack of positive outcomes for those who highlight abuse.

Many would suffer in silence, because abuse might be carried out by a carer and the only alternative would to be in a nursing home.

Ms Phelan will be among a number of speakers at today’s conference at UCD to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

Action Age Ireland - Press Release