More than half the flats at the Women's Aid Refuge in Londonderry have been occupied by women aged over 70.

After suffering decades of domestic abuse some women seek help to leave.

A 75-year-old woman told support worker Jo Cochrane, "she was sorry she hadn't done this 20 or 30 years earlier but in her mind 'there was nowhere' to go."

"They experience the same categories of abuse, the difference is the length of time they have suffered so the impact is more severe," she said.

Marie Brown, area manager for Foyle Women's Aid, said the woman can suffer a range of abuse from financial, physical, verbal, sexual and emotional.

"One woman talked about saving water, she wasn't allowed to eat meat or watch TV," she said.

"It was violence when she was younger, then with time it escalated into something else."

There are often a variety of reasons why people can find it hard to leave domestic abuse, Ms Cochrane said these can often revolve around guilt.

"Maybe they have failing physical health, and in many cases grown-up families and children who may or may not support her, she will have to deal with feelings around that," she said.

When the pensioners do seek help in the refuge they can be an inspiration for the other women.

"The woman in her mid-70s was by far the oldest in the room, she said to the younger women 'now you're out, stay out' she said.

"She'd taken the decision to leave now because she had reached her significant birthday in her 70s, 'I have 10 years left, I want them to be peaceful', she told me."

Ms Cochrane said stories like this were not as rare as might be expected.

"The average age of women coming into the Rose House refuge is 54, there have been many women over 50 and 60 who have left their homes and come in for help," she said

Women's Aid runs a 24-hour helpline for victims of domestic violence - 0800 917 1414.